What We Did Instead

Caelan has preschool once a week for 1 1/2 hours. That's not really enough time to go home and get anything done before picking her up so Brenna and I usually run errands. Today, however, we had no errands to run.

My first instinct was to pack up the small laptop and head to Panera. I even loaded some free games onto the iPod Touch for Brenna to play while I worked.

And then I thought about it... How much work would I really get done? And, since my job is one I created for myself my deadlines are often self imposed (sometimes I have "real" deadlines, but most often they are my own).

Then I looked at the weather and saw that today may be the only day this week without rain. Surely I could do something with Brenna that she would enjoy more than sitting indoors- even if it would involve a yummy pastry!

So I took her to our local sports complex which is filled with winding pathways and helped her learn to rollerblade with the great 3-wheeled blades we found at a garage sale last year.

Definitely time better spent...


Look at that smile! And she was doing quite well by the time we ended.

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More Great Stuff Happening at the Des Moines National Mom's Nite Out!

Wow! I am collecting sponsors for Mom's Nite Out and am hearing great feedback from the Des Moines community!

I've got lots of great giveaways from companies like Archiver's, CJ's Bagels, Your Online Go To Gal & Janine King Designs!

Godiva will be at the event all night dipping lots of goodies in chocolate...

I just got word that I will be receiving swag from some of the national sponsors including Little Debbie 100 Calorie Snacks, Welch's juice, books, gift certificates and other great stuff!

Companies like Premier Designs, Mary Kay, Tastefully Simple, Pampered Chef, Beijo Bags, Hair West & Discovery Toys will have representatives on site to pamper you... And each company will have a door prize to give away!

Be sure to register on the National Mom's Nite Out website for other great prizes!

And keep checking back with me for updates! I've got some things I'm working on...

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Finding Your Own Hope in this Economy

I'm on a Dave Ramsey roll right now. Last summer when I told Doug I had enrolled us in FPU I know he was skeptical. He had skimmed through The Total Money Makeover and had plenty to say about what was wrong with it. But, good husband that he is, he joined me and- to his surprise, I think- enjoyed it and got on board with the plan.

It's been almost a year since I found out about Dave and the difference in our lives is pretty amazing. We've paid off our vehicles (ok, one was totaled in an accident, but it is still paid off!), paid off over 18,000 in debt (loans & credit cards), cut unnecessary expenses and moved to a cash only system for most expenses. To say our lives have changed is an understatement. To try to explain how nice it feels to have money left at the end of the month (instead of the opposite) is impossible unless you've experienced it.

During our time in Massachusetts we fell off the wagon a bit, though. Being away from our credit union made it costly and difficult to withdraw cash for our expenses. Living on an expense account makes it easier to forget about cost. And being away from home made life feel more like a vacation. We need a kick in the pants.

I registered us for Dave Ramsey Live in Kansas City this weekend. It won't be anything new but it will give us back the intensity we lost the past 3 months. It will also be a welcome weekend away for me from the girls- I was with them 24/7 for 10 weeks. I need a break!

Last Thursday we got a bit of Dave intensity at the Town Hall for Hope. It wasn't anything we hadn't heard before but I was a good refresher. Here are a few notes I took:

Failure- if it's chasing you- will run you towards excellence.

Success is merely a pile of failure you are standing on.

Embrace personal responsibility!

Three things to do if you're struggling with hope:

1. Get up and take action! Get off the couch! Do something! Your best chance at success is you!
2. Don't participate in loser talk! If you surround yourself with losers, well, you must be a loser, too! Feed your brain with good stuff! Surround yourself with people you want to emulate!
3. Learn to give again! Give your time if you don't have the money. Giving not only makes you feel good but volunteering may make you realize just how good you have it!
   

Get informed and choose not to participate in the recession! And, if you haven't yet, now is a great time to locate an FPU class near you!

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Well, That's Certainly the Pot Calling the Kettle Black

Surely I'm not the only one who saw the hypocrisy in the government recently calling the credit card companies to the White House for a "stern warning".

It seems that the credit card companies are "taking advantage" of people. Hmmm... I just want to look at something for a minute...

Credit card companies vs. taxes:

• Credit cards are an option. Taxes are mandatory.
• 76.2% of Americans have credit cards. Which is a higher number than I thought. BUT 100% of Americans pay taxes (show me one who doesn't... even children pay taxes when they buy a candy bar)
• If you have a credit card balance you may pay as much as 24% monthly. If you have a tax debt you will pay an interest rate equivalent to the federal short-term rate plus three percentage points, compounded daily.
• A credit card companies "fine print" may take up a letter size page or small pamphlet. The US Tax Code, according to the US Government Printing Office, is 13,458 pages in total. The full text of Title 26 of the United States Code (the part written by Congress) is a mere 3,387 printed pages, bringing the adjusted gross page count to 16,845.

"Hey Pot, this is Kettle..."

Here's a really good article: The Truth About Credit Card Debt on MSN.

A little FYI for those ultra sensitive types:

The phrase "the pot calling the kettle black" is an idiom used to accuse another speaker of hypocrisy, in that the speaker disparages the subject for a fault or negative behavior that could equally be applied to him or her. In former times cast iron pots and kettles were quickly blackened from the soot of the fire. The pot would then be hypocritical to insult the kettle's color, since both are black with soot.

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FREE GODIVA CHOCOLATE at Des Moines National Mom's Nite Out!

Des Moines National Mom's Nite Out
Thursday, May 7, 7-10 pm
At All Play (formerly In Play) 615 3rd St., Des Moines

I knew that would get some attention... Yes, ladies, it's true, there will be free chocolate at the Des Moines National Mom's Night Out. Our local Godiva retail store in Jordan Creek Town Center will be bringing a mobile dipping booth filled with warm chocolate- and plenty of goodies to dip in it!

I have some great sponsors lined up, with more signing on all the time! Here's what I have currently:

• Our conference space, courtesy of All Play
• A witty Des Moines T from SMASH
• A scrap pak from Archiver's in West Des Moines (and a little something for the first 40 ladies in the door)
• A gift certificate from CJ's Bagel Bakery in Ankeny
• A Poken, the cutest social networking tool around, from Your Online Go To Gal (tip: she's a great resource if you are interested in social media)
• A beautiful bag from Janine King Designs

I also have representatives from:

• Mary Kay
• Pampered Chef

Did I mention they will all have something to give away?

More local businesses are signing on daily! (If you are a Des Moines area business and want to take part in the great event contact me. Let's talk!)

Don't forget to visit the National Mom's Nite Out site to register for great prizes.

Can't make it to an event but still want to be part of the fun? There will be over 100 giveaways on Twitter (#mno-09).

Keep tuned to Iowa Geek for more information as it comes!

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Well, The Evening Began Idyllicaly

This evening was gorgeous. It was warm & sunny; Doug pulled out the patio table & chairs so we could eat dinner outside. We had gnocchi and salad. Had we been surrounded by grape vines and eating on a rustic wooden table it couldn't have been more ideal.

After dinner we all did some yard work (Doug picked up poo while the girls and I pulled weeds). I began taking plates into the house. I was in the kitchen when I heard a thump. You know the sound- kind of like a melon hitting a cement slab.

Except it wasn't a melon. Unless you're using speaking slang for head... Then I suppose you could say that Caelan's "melon" hit the patio slab. Hard enough for me to hear it in the kitchen- one floor up and indoors.

Somehow she had missed the seat of our patio swing, or she slipped off... I'm not really sure. Doug said it happened in a split second... She was on and then she wasn't.

Oh how she cried.

Her eyes didn't dilate, she didn't lose conscienceness or vomit. She was groggy and dazed.

We made a trip to urgent care. Where she wasn't the only child visiting for a head bump.

By the time we saw the doctor she was telling me, "My head is ok, Mommy." But with the whole Natasha Richardson thing in my mind we weren't leaving.

The doctor we saw was very understanding. He checked her eyes, ears, blood pressure... He asked her questions and had her walk.

We left with instructions to wake her twice tonight and make sure she is fully conscience. And no food lest she vomit. I made mention that my worry was bleeding. He said that is really the only worry but that he didn't see any signs of that. I commented that they were probably seeing a lot of worried parents for this reason and he said, "Yes. And doing a lot of unnecessary cat scans. The case with Neeson's wife, that is incredibly rare. In a child your daughter's age a cat scan probably wouldn't show anything, anyway."

Right now Caelan is fast asleep in our bed. I'm thinking about taking the computer upstairs and sitting by her as she sleeps...

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Mom's Night Out in Des Moines

I am so excited to share this with you all! The Des Moines Area National Mom's Night Out will be held at All Play in downtown Des Moines from 7 - 10 pm.

If you've never been to All Play (formerly In Play) let me just tell you that this is a great place for the entire family. Food, mini-bowling, arcade games and big screen TVs make this popular with everyone. (There is even wi-fi if you're a geek like me!)

All Play has graciously donated a conference room for us to use (and we may even get to utilize the mini bowling alley later in the evening!)

I'll be listing giveaways that we will have at our local event as they come in. And don't forget to visit the National Mom's Night Out site to register for great giveaways there! And be sure to check out the companies that are offering discounts!

Keep checking in with me or Paula to stay up to date on all the great goings on!

If you are a central Iowa business and would like to be showcased at the Des Moines Area National Mom's Night Out contact me via email. Help me make this a great event for Moms!

UPDATES HERE

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I'll Let Jennifer Share Our Time Together...

OK, I'm exhausted, my toiletries bag is in Michigan & NBC won't come in on the antenna so I can't watch Medium.

And I haven't had a chance to edit any photos from our time in Ontario because we had a great time with Jennifer & Adam and their kids. All the kids got along great (after a dramatic entry when I managed to pop Caelan's wrist out of the socket and have an hour long episode in which I actually thought we would be making a visit to a Canadian ER. I'm betting they wouldn't have taken my insurance...) and played so wonderfully.

Go over to Jen's blog and take a look. She's got some great photos from our visit.

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It's Amazing How Much a Town & Country Can Hold...

So... We're home. I have much to do. Saying much doesn't even begin to describe what I need to do... But I do want to show you something... But I had to show you these photos.

Here is the van packed and ready to go. It's a good thing I enjoy puzzles... Because this was! But I gotta tell you, I LOVE the stow & go storage. WOW! I fit a ton of stuff in there.

What? You don't believe me? Here's all the stuff that was in the van unloaded into the house:
Storage totes, boxes, suitcases, bags... It's almost like a clown car full of stuff puked in my house.

Gotta say, I really, really liked that van. And I'll be sorry to see it go back to the rental company tomorrow. And I need a vehicle (remember- Doug totaled the truck a few months ago) but the expense of the Town & Country isn't anywhere in my budget right now.

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Des Moines Area Moms! Join Me!

Want to join Paula & me IRL (in real life) to celebrate being a mom?

The first annual Mom's Night Out is May 7. Because I am currently on my way home from an extended stay in Massachusetts details are still in the works.

If you are a business local to the Des Moines area and want to be noticed by the one person in every household who makes the majority of purchases and influences everything from dining to entertainment, clothing to travel contact me! Let's discuss how you can help make this an amazing event!

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Bloggers Meet IRL!

Our trip home is filled with bloggy meet-ups. Last night we had dinner near Rochester, NY with Practigal and her family. We had a nice steak dinner and great conversation.

Today found us in Ontario, Canada with Jen & her family near Niagara Falls. We spent the day doing touristy stuff- riding the giant wheel, viewing the Falls, walking a lot. Oh, and checking out the Hershey store...

Dinner was created at home- grilled brats & hot dogs and pasta salad. Mmmm...

I have a great video from Horseshoe Falls... It's just taking forever to load.

Tomorrow is a bit more sightseeing then we head back to the USA. Going through Michigan, Illinois & Iowa on the way home. Anyone else wanna meet?

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Cold Beachy Fun

Who cares if it's cold & windy? A bucket, a shovel & sand... Nuthin' better...

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Tax Day Tea Parties

Here's a map to all of them.

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At My Other Sites

Just in case you don't read my other stuff, I wanted to share a few things:

I've got a book giveaway going on.

I got my Crocs- and I love them!

Here's some of what we've done during our time in Massachusetts.

Only 2 1/2 days left here... Boxes are piling up, the refrigerator is getting bare and the girls are saying goodbye to new friends and teachers.

We're looking forward to meeting Practigal and her son as we pass through upstate New York. And all girls involved (little and big) are excited for the geeks to enter Jennifer's World as we cut through Canada on our way home (yes, I've got the passports ready).

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Remember when...

Remember when $750 BILLION was a lot of money? Well, hidden in last weeks love fest for the President, is his agreeing to send $750 Billion to the International Monetary Fund. Where will we get the money? I don't know and I don't think Obama cares.

You know, the best thing to do when you are out of cash is to stop spending! The Chinese aren't buying many of our T-bills and the UK and Germany can't sell theirs. The bill is coming, Mr. President, and soon our creditors will expect payment.


Here's what I would do:

1. STOP GIVING MONEY AWAY! That includes earmarks.


2. Sell Amtrak and allow private companies to provide rail service. Congress has enforced a monopoly long enough. Then, instead of a tax drain because bureaucrats don't know how to run a rail road, there will be tax revenue from those that do.


3. Sell NASA and allow private companies to launch space vehicles from US soil. The US Air Force already has more space launches than NASA and can easily accept any strategic assets.


4. The Federal Department of Education hasn't done anything except inhibit education since the Carter administration. Each state has their own bureaucracy and a Federal department is redundant. Every time local and parental control has been tried, it has succeeded. Get government out of the way.


5. Scale back OSHA. It has gotten well past it's mandate and is more about paperwork than actually caring about worker safety.


6. Here's the big one - entitlement spending. Medicare, Medicaid and and Social Security are half to two-thirds of the Federal Budget. All other budget reductions are minuscule in comparison. The Federal government's role is to provide for civil and national defense, protect interstate commerce, diplomacy & international treaties, and a common legal framework. All other programs are optional. Currently, 12.4% of your paycheck goes towards Social Security and Medicare. Because Congress has stolen, I mean, reallocated the surpluses from this fund EVERY YEAR, there will come a time when there are more benefits being paid out than is being garnished from your paycheck. It depends on when a large mass of Baby Boomers want to retire, but analysts estimate that it will happen within a few years. One of two things will happen then, benefits will be reduced or the money will be reallocated from other areas.


7. Farm Bill. What do I need to say about a program that pays farmers not to farm, or promotes farming illogical crops. Oh, and this bill may be one of the main reasons a small (less than 250 acres) farmer cannot make a living. This bill encourages large farms and corporations.


8. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Unneeded at the Federal level. Let local communities do things in their own communities.


9. I know there is more. What would you do?

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Wow... 2 Months Gone

At times the days seemed to crawl by... And other days I wished for more hours.

While it seems entirely possible that our final week in Massachusetts is upon us it doesn't quite seem plausible. I still have so many things I would like to do, so many things to see.

Ah, well, those will all have to wait until another time, I suppose.

We had a great weekend. On Saturday the girls got to see their first musical: Thomas the Tank Engine Live. They loved it! We finished the evening at our favorite Irish pub: the Black Rose. Sunday we ventured to the Cape to explore Falmouth, a town we passed through on our first trip. We didn't make it past Falmouth as the girls wanted to use their new sand pails & shovels on the beach. Then into the village where a few shops were open- as was a great Irish pub. No live music but the food was really good!

I have so much yet to share from our time out here- my articles are ending up longer than I anticipate and are taking a while to write. I don't want to miss anything! Be sure you're subscribed to Have Kid Will Travel or following me on Twitter so you can keep updated!

Tomorrow I have a few things to share on the review site- my Crocs arrived last week!- and I hope to finish the article about our "home away from home".

Also on the agenda... Beginning packing. What can be packed, what has to wait, what will we need for the trip home, what won't we, what has to be done before we leave... I anticipate a hectic week. But there's nothing new about that...

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Happy Easter

We are staring forward into our final week in Massachusetts. I'm not sure how the time passed so quickly... Especially when it seemed like it would never end.

I have so much to share and didn't get the time. This week we took the girls to dinner at a Hibachi, visited the Roger Williams Park Zoo and spent all last weekend in Plymouth. Tonight we are having dinner at a local cafe with live music. Tomorrow we are heading into Boston for Thomas the Tank Engine Live (thanks MomSelect!) and then to the Black Rose for dinner & music. Sunday we are hoping it will be nice enough to head to the Cape... Or we'll go to an Easter egg hunt in the garden of the artist who illustrated The Velveteen Rabbit.

I hope everyone has an amazing Easter.

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I Refuse to Participate in This Recession

I just found out that my church will be hosting Dave Ramsey's Town Hall for Hope on April 23rd.

Info: 7pm CST in the Neveln Center,

406 SW School Street

Ankeny, IA 50023
room 103

Consider this your invitation, direct from me. The event is free.

If you have any questions leave me a comment or drop a note to the church.

If you're looking for more common sense answers to your debt issues why not meet Doug & me in Kansas City on May 2 for Total Money Makeover Live!

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This hasn't happened to me...yet

Since I'm taking the train on a daily basis and know exactly how train stations operate, I couldn't stop laughing at this video. Good for the people that organized this!

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Kinda Waiting for My Senator's "Outrage"

I'm waiting but I haven't received an email from Senator Harkin detailing his "outrage" over the Fannie & Freddie bonuses that were handed out last Friday- when the media had other things to focus on. You know, like what outfit Michelle Obama was wearing or how to spin the Presidents continued bashing of America (I must say the NY Times did a pretty good job glossing over it...)

In case you missed it, Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac execs received bonuses in the area of $210 million dollars. I don't hear Barney Frank spouting his "give it back" mantra. Nor do I hear Senator Grassley saying these execs should "follow the Japanese example", though he, at least, has said it is an "insult to taxpayers" - I had to go to a UK newspaper, however, to find that information.

This is insulting:

In the letter, a copy of which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Lockhart defends the bonuses as vital to retaining talent at the two companies, the main providers of funding for U.S. home mortgages. Fannie and Freddie, which reported combined losses of about $108 billion for 2008, are being propped up by capital infusions from the U.S. Treasury.

So, people who worked for AIG and had NO involvement in the losses that led to the insurance company's downfall don't deserve their bonuses but we need to pay bonuses to "retain talent" for two federally funded companies that lost $108 billion last year?

I'm thinking we can do without that kind of "talent".

Want to tell your politicians?

Click here to easily contact the House of Representatives.

Click here to contact your Senators.

Are your fed up yet? The Iowa branch of the 9-12 Project has a Tea Party on the west lawn of the Des Moines capitol building beginning at 2 pm on April 11. The info as I have it:
*April 11, 2009 Tea Party @ 2pm West Lawn on Finkbine St.

*Signs are not allowed to be on sticks (per the Iowa capitol request). BUT do bring signs to get our message out

*No smoking & no alcohol

*Pick up your own trash (please lets send out an extra powerful message by being responsible, remember the filth on the National mall after Inauguration...that was embarrassing!)

*We are working on a series of speakers and a special emcee for the event.

*We are working on finding a venue to gather after the protest to fellowship and yes to once again...TALK ABOUT PRINCIPLES and to fellowship.

*Get the word out!!! We want to get well over 1,000 Iowans to speak out! Remember, this is not about politics...this is about principles. Principles #9 The Government works for us...we do not work for them. And #7 I work hard for what I have. I will share it with who I want, when I want. The government cannot force me to be charitable.

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For Miss Amy

I've been bad about the promised updates and we've been so busy that I am far, far behind on our travel adventures at Have Kid Will Travel. So I wanted to share this photo of the girls from our visit to Salem a couple weekends ago. We stopped in the Maritime Museum and the girls were dressing up as sea farers... The outfits were just a bit big...

Even with our great adventures the girls are ready to be home... And I am ready to be back on schedule!

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It's Nice to Hear

Today we toured Plymouth, Massachusetts. It was incredibly cool- we may go back tomorrow to see more & go on a whale watch. Unless we go to the Cape...

We wore the girls out; we toured the Mayflower II, Plimoth Plantation, Jenney Grist Mill & then we took a walking tour of Plymouth (more on all of this another day at Have Kid Will Travel)...

After all that adventure we stopped in a rather nice restaurant for dinner- recommended to us by the great folks who run the Jenney Grist Mill. The girls were good, a little fidgety as they were trying not to fall asleep, but they weren't being too noisy.

As we got up to leave an older gentleman at the next table motioned for me to come over. He said to me, "When you get to be my age you're sure to tell people things... I've never wanted grandkids. When I saw you being seated with your daughters I thought they would be noisy and disruptive. Now, I don't know how they are normally, but your kids were so well behaved and well mannered I just wanted to thank you, you're raising them right."

I thanked him as Caelan charmed his friends. I found out that it was his birthday, he, his wife and another couple visit this restaurant annually for his birthday. It's their tradition to buy cake for everyone at their table- and their waiter. We all wished him a happy birthday as we left.

We've heard a lot since we've been in Boston how well behaved the girls are. I guess he must have been right... Somehow we're not doing too bad in our raising of them...

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You knew this was coming

Well, President Obama is in the United Kingdom of Great Britain for the G20 summit. You knew he would do something to screw up our relations with our 19 biggest trading partners didn't you?

Well, evidently, he didn't know that England is only one of the crowns represented in the United Kingdom. As Redstate put it, how would you like it if a head of state came here and used a single state's name when they should have said the United States? That lake of preparedness demonstrates a complete disregard for the history and make up of the UK.

An iPod? Really? Um, she already had one at the advice of her grandson. I found that using Google. In 20 seconds. A staff flunky in the White House should have called a staff flunky in Buckingham Palace and received a list. Just saying.


About the summit itself: Obama does take some of the blame for the financial mess. That's responsible of him considering liberals in Congress (both side of the aisle) started that ball rolling and human nature filled in the rest. However, he then goes on to pass on the leadership of the recovery. He doesn't say that we will lead the way out, as we have in the past. We need to do it all together, but does nothing to get it started. And everything he has done to date lengthens the time we will be in a recession. Excessive governmental involvement got us in this mess. Getting the government out of the way will get us out of it.


UPDATE: This is sarcasm, but had me going for a moment, considering how graceful the Obama's have been to foreign heads of state.


UPDATE2: Evidently the iPod had Obama speeches loaded going back to when he was a mere state senator. Ummm, okay.

UPDATE3: Dude, the hits just keep on coming. This time from Secretary Clinton's staff. The comedy just writes itself.

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The Coolest Thing About Blogging

I have friends all over the world. So if I happen to mention I'll be heading someplace I usually get emails that say, "Hey, if you have time stop in my town. I'll show you around, we'll grab ice cream." Which is way cool and I'm bummed when I can't take up my bloggy friends on those great offers.

Well, I happened to mention that we will be making a stop in Niagara Falls, Canada on our way back to Iowa (it's winning in the poll on Have Kid Will Travel) and I got this email:

"...we have extra rooms if you don't want to pay the insane prices for hotels around here. It wouldn't matter what time you got here and can spend more on "tourist" stuff if you like. I know we've never actually met before, so it sounds weird inviting you to stay here, but I'm pretty sure that after four years of reading your blog I know you pretty well :)

Now, how cool is that? So not only will I be meeting Jennifer but she is gonna be hosting us for a night. She's been reading me for 4 years but I'm not sure she really knows what she's in for!

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At Iowa Geek Reviews

Just in case you don't subscribe to the Reviews portion of Iowa Geek (why not? You should... That's where giveaways are ending up...) I want to let you know what's new over there...

I'm giving away another book: Laura Rider's Masterpiece.

If you blog you'll be interested in this free blog back-up.

A great reason to join MomSelect: free stuff! We get to go see Thomas & Friends!

Have a child with asthma- or know one? You can get a free asthma storybook, Breathless Bethany Buttercup.

I got to review a fun and inexpensive game from OTB (makers of Apples to Apples): Zen Benders. Check out my review- it's a great game for those Easter baskets you'll be stuffing soon! BTW- OTB games will be sponsoring a giveaway during Bloggy Giveaway Carnival the first week of May!

So, while you're over there checking out all my great posts, don't forget to subscribe (it's easy- the buttons are at the top right) because I've got another giveaway going on soon and a great opportunity to share.

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According to Facebook, We're Related

Today this came in my inbox:

Hi,

Barack Obama (Washington, DC) has confirmed you as his fourth cousin once removed on We're Related.

Follow this link to see how you are related:
(ok, I removed the link... You all don't need access to my Facebook page...)

We're Related Team

I'm afraid to click the link- it may be some nasty virus. Or, worse, I could find out that it's true...

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