Money Makes the World Go Round

This year, I think I will talk a lot about money since that is what everyone else is talking about. I will try my hardest to alternate Fitness and Frugal Friday posts. I apparently have gained a reputation of being extremely frugal. And I admit, sometimes I am shocked that we live on what we make but we do and now it is just the norm.

Anyways...in the New Year resolution spirit, here is an article from the Chicago Tribune to get you thinking about your budget. The best thing to do to save money is clearly understand your family's economy. Take the time to work it out and this article provides great tips, ideas, and even worksheets for you!

*Our money saving tip of the day is...we paid for the holiday with real money...not credit cards. I don't have to fear next months credit card bill because it will be empty!

Happy 2009!

I can't believe it is 2009! It seems like yesterday we were all worried about Y2K! Happy New Year to all!

My major resolution for the upcoming year to take care of myself better.
*Take time to enjoy the view
*Go to sleep with dirty dishes in the sink and unfolded laundry in the basket
*Read an extra story to the kids at bedtime even though its late
*Sit down and talk with my hubby each day
*Take an extra minute in the shower to breathe
*Be content to just get places regardless of punctuality
*Read more books and watch more tv
*Workout for myself.
*Take time to chat about our weekends at work on Monday mornings
*Sip my coffee and nibble on chocolate

The Dynamic Duo

It is well-known that my youngest two sons love everything superhero. But my favorite part right now is the creativity to become a different superhero each day.

Each day they decide what superhero they would like to be...either established (e.g. spiderman, hulk) or original. If they have a representation of said superhero (e.g. picture, movie, action figure), they hold up the representation and try to match their clothes as closely as possible. This is where the real creativity comes in....

One day, they come in my room and say "Hey, look who we are!" (I had no clue). "See, I am wearing stripes like a flag and blue pants so I am Capt. America. And C. is wearing red, pretend that heart on his shirt is a spider, so he is Spiderman."

They often like to be the Hulk or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles but their drawers lack green items...so the 3yo one day puts on another color shirt and turns it backwards and tells me he is pretending his shirt is green so he can be Michael Angelo.

But my favorite was this week, when after giving up on being The Thing (since our 3yo doesn't have an all orange outfit), he decided to put on black and be "Black Man."

If only the other one decided to be the White Power ranger....

What a pair!

Late for a date

Next year, I think we will celebrate Christmas on the 27th...it would save us a fortune! This year, I cut our holiday budget down considerably (through freecycle and cutting extra things down (e.g. candy, stocking stuffers)) but think about...everything is on sale now. Just because hershey kisses are wrapped in red and green...on the 26th they are marked down 75%...but not just wrapping paper, ribbons, cards, and candy.....stores are clearing their extra stock...so lots of things are on sale. (actually I saw prices starting to drop starting the 21st)

So next year, maybe we'll wait an extra day or two.

Good Bye Eartha Baby

Yesterday, a Hollywood and Broadway legend passed away...Eartha Kitt.

What a woman! Talented in every way...singer, dancer, actress, political activist, strong--inside and out--woman. You can read more about her and her amazing 60-year career here.

I love her silky voice...but I also love her classic catwoman (she was actually the replacement catwoman). Here is a just a little show of her talent.

She will be missed.

Top Holiday Food List

Here are my must-have holiday foods...its not Christmas without them.

5. Egg nog latte (or egg nog in my coffee since I can't afford a real latte)
4. Gram's ribbon jello (she wakes up every 2hrs during the night to make the layers)
3. Mom's stuffing (how many sticks of butter again?)
2. Hershey Kiss cookies (peanut blossoms)
1. Gram's pierogies (farmer's cheese are my favorite)

I sadly will miss my Polish Christmas Eve dinner this year...I will take a moment of silence now.

Top Lists

This is the time of year...let's count it down....so I will too.



Today...I will tell you about my top 5 guilty-pleasure movies (movies that aren't really great, wouldn't qualify as 'films' but you always stop and watch them if on tv). You know...the ones you are slightly embarressed that you know most of the dialogue. Classic iconic movies don't count here (e.g. Dirty Dancing, Breakfast Club, Steel Magnolis, Wayne's World) and of course, no awards or critical acclaim.



5. The Cutting Edge--this classic ice skating movie (now a nice pair with Blades of Glory) was watched many times in my adolescence...toe pick!



4. She's All That (great soundtrack, classic teen flick...who doesn't love falafel hats?)



3. Bring It On--I was a cheerleader in high school.



2. Legally Blonde--I'm blonde too.



1. Final Destinations 1-3 (LOVE THEM!!! Love that they are almost always shown on TV back-to-back). The most creative and awesome death scenes without a real-life threatening killer.

Cold Quickies...

*Man, its cold out there...especially when you are standing outside the car waiting for little ones to find their car seats.

*We spent the weekend visiting half of our living relatives...all in less than 48 hrs! Complete with 2 restaurants, Christmas presents, sleet falling from the sky, drunken elders, puking kids, and lots and lots of love.

*Note on the puking kids....our 5yo spent one night, or early morning I should say, throwing up. But my mom told me she would take care of him, so I went back to bed. Thanks Mom! (later, he gave me a detailed description of the contents and emotions)

*I almost left my 12yo at a rest stop on the highway (think Little Miss Sunshine)...she spent the trip in iPod world, I didn't know she was missing.

*4 more days until Winter Break for me and the kids! And no travelling!!

*No, I don't have my Christmas shopping done...and those of you who have it done and wrapped should not mention it to the rest of us. I did bake today...finally.

*You know that my brother and I share a brain when he shouts one word at the table and only I laugh!

*My grandma decided that she needs to find a young (60+) billionaire to marry...let me know if you know any. She will settle for a millionaire, if necessary. I now refer to her as the golddigging cougar...with love.

To you...impatient driver behind me...

This happened twice today...

I'm waiting on a side street waiting to turn left onto a 'busy' street (what we in CU consider 'busy'...Prospect, Neil, University). Waiting patiently (I am an extremely patient person) for the safe opportunity to turn. The person behind me honks. (and because I looked and there is nothing wrong with my car...unless the pro-breastfeeding or Obama bumper stickers offend you)....STOP HONKING AT ME!!!

I am not going to risk my and my kids' lives not to mention our only car to try to sneak into the bustling traffic of Champaign rush hour. Be patient, my friend.

Bail me out...

So its official, the economy sucks...here what I have to say about fixing it.

Everyone who makes more than 1 million dollars per year should take the 1 mil and give the rest to the rest of us. Does anyone need more than 1 million dollars? I wouldn't even know what to do with that much money let alone 9mil or whatever ridiculous amounts athletes, movie stars, and major corporation CEO's make.

My husband says that they made that money...it is theirs. True....but they don't need it. Do it for the love of the job and the joy it brings...that is why my husband and I are in jobs we are in...we love them and not the paycheck (obviously).

Yes, I realize this will never happen but think of the millions and millions of dollars.

Hometown Pride

We go every year....snow, sleet, cold....we go to the CU Parade of Lights in downtown. We bundle up (snowpants, hats, blankets) and head out. This year we went without the hubby since he had to work. It was a risk but it paid off. The kids love parades and there are only 2 each year...and Santa makes a special appearance.

This year, it was definately cold and a bit windy...but no snow. But there was definately a smaller crowd last night and a shorter parade. And I felt there was a lack of effort this year for the awards...there were only a couple 'floats' to choose from (the MTD was great!). I loved the big star balloons from the park district (sponsored by different organizations). But we love seeing all the scout trips, local organizations, volunteer fire depts, characters....oh, and candy. We watched it once near the beginning and then walked down (past the burned out buildings) and watched it again listening to our local news personalities commentate while we waited for Tree Lighting (and enjoyed free hot cocoa with marshmellows and whipped cream from Jim Gould's!).

Our 3yo sat motionless wrapped up as much as possible. Our 5yo took the time to figure out how the tree turns on without an outlet near by, and the poorly-dressed-for-the-weather 12 yo bounced around trying to stay warm and how to get the marshmellows out of her cup. I was excited that there we not a ton of kids waiting to talk to Santa...but my little ones just wanted to see him. It was also fun trying to see if the scarf and hat hidden beings around us were people we knew.

It is nice and a great tradition for our community.

Fitness Friday!

Its cold out there! And it is, for most people, the busiest time of year...shopping, parties, food...

I like to get outside when I can but I don't risk injury exercising on ice-covered surfaces...but I let the kids out all the time to play. Bundle up! Go out. I watch from the door and make them hot cocoa when their noses are rosy. Playing in the snow is great exercise! Shoveling! Raking the leaves you didn't get to before the snow! Making a snowman! Just being in the cold takes more energy. If you must keep them in...I kid you not...invest in a small climber, slide, trampoline, nerf basketball hoop, something. Clear some space and let them run around. It will make everyone happier (natural exercise high, release of excessive energy, fun).

As for me, I head to the gym a little bit more (stay later, really). Since I'm planning on running all over CU in the spring...the treadmill and elliptical will be my extra activity. But I always like to jump some rope for 10mins...its fun and a great, quick workout. Its all about mediation for me...zone out for 10-30mins each day...listen to good music or watch trashy tv....revitalizing!

Of course, I highly advocate belting out holiday songs and dancing around the Christmas tree.

I'm here...

With work and a non-working computer...I've been forced to cut my online usage down...I had to read a book and everything!

Sorry to be embedded-media crazed but this is a nice closure to my same-sex marriage discussion. I had to share. Thanks Neil for sending.

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Health Care?

I spent most of my day dealing with the health care of my family.

Besides we were playing phone tag with our pediatrician about our 5yo (he's fine), I had my annual physical. I get there...surprised that I apparently scheduled a pap smear (I didn't)..then find out that my insurance might not cover the appointment since my ob/gyn listed my annual gyno exam in June as a regular physical. But that got taken care of and I was given a clean bill of health.

After I get home, I decide to finally call the insurance company to ask about several incorrect billings. First I am told that my doctor's office apparently sending the bills in incorrectly...but they don't actually correct the error unless the patient complains...then you have to go through a ridiculous process. I also ask about some lab fees...despite the literature we were given about our plan that simply states 100% of lab fees are covered...really they are only covered if sent to a specific lab. And, here's the best part, it is MY responsibility to tell my doctor to send it to this specific lab. So...there will be a strong letter sent about that. It should not be the patient's responsibility to tell them where to send lab work...especially since we were never told such a thing. So my hub calls the doctor and they say its the insurance companies errors. Blah.

So then, while I was in the mood. I look at our annual change period information on our current insurance (something I ignored until my hub mentioned that so many people at work were complaining about the changes...what changes?). Basically, my hub's work is changing insurance companies so we have to reverify our existence and select new plans. After spending hours trying to figure out if our current drs were covered and trying to factor in the care the pediatrician just recommended for our middle boy....done and done.

Here's the bottom line...we take the time to read the claims, bills, literature and I don't pay unless I know what I'm paying for. But so many people don't...there are billing errors, coverage and lack of coverage they don't know about...but people just pay for it or go see the doctor expecting to get low-cost care. Health care should not be complicated...I should feel comfortable heading to the dr to the care my family and I need.

Yuck!

Holidays...already?

Yes, I noticed the Christmas decorations were out in stores before Halloween...and they are in full bloom now yet Thanksgiving dinner hasn't even been cleared (I have started cooking it). Andy Rooney makes a good case here.

Watch CBS Videos Online

I often cringe when I see Christmas lights a glow before December and I, personally, refuse to pull out any holiday items before Dec 1st (even though I so love my collection of holiday socks). And despite my kids watch Rudolph all year, I try hard not to indulge too much too early. However, I did check Stephen Colbert's new special...hilarious! The music is brilliant (I love the Nutmeg song!). You can watch it in clips here...or buy it on DVD starting Tuesday.

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

A Colbert Christmas: John Legend

Ron Paul Interview
Bob Barr Interview

Green Screen
Bill O'Reilly Interview

News!

My 2 favorite news sources merge!

Quickies...

*I am waiting patiently for the 21st Century inventions presented in the Jetson's television show to come into being...I really want the walk-thru shower/dressing machine and the dinner options.

*Why isn't there a good movie in the theaters on the once-in-months date night? Although Role Models made me laugh out loud...the perfectly buttered popcorn was the star of the experience.

*Should I feel bad that I watch tv/movies online...most likely posted illegally?

*My 5yo is obsessed with Hairspray...I love hearing him sing (even when its at 6am).

*3yo is diaper-free!!

*12yo had to miss her first school dance due to some bad grades...a tough but right parenting decision.

*I really love coffee.

Marriage...what the?

Ok...Prop 8 has really opened up the discussion of marriage across the country.

Here's my thought today that has really bothered me....
Right now, two people of the same gender/sex cannot be legally married, in most states.

However...someone who has gone under some kind of transgender process can legally change genders/sexes and then get legally married. For example, a woman who transgendered into a male can become legally a man and then marry a woman. Additionally, people who get married as a heterosexual couple but then one decides to transgender...their marriage is still legal. So despite, someone's chromosomal make up or physical body...they can marry.

I am really bothered that a country and state can define male and female and thus marriage and parenthood.

Again....we are all people. This is so frustrating!

Fitness Friday!

Reflections on my own fitness...

Honestly, I really never exercised seriously before five years ago. Yes, I went to gym class in school, took some dance, was a cheerleader, I would do some crunches here and there and walk around campus in college...and I was a big fan of Body Electric! Not sure if it was the best husband move but...after receiving both an Ab Roller and a Thigh Master for my birthday...we finally joined a gym after our middle baby.

I remember vividly my first kickboxing class (thanks, Lisa!). I thought I was going to die...yes, that is how I felt. Step class was a mess. I couldn't run more than few steps. Now five years later, things have obviously changed. I had two new members in my kickboxing class this week...I told them how my first class was.

Later this week, I decided to run on the treadmill (something I rarely do). I step on, find the right music...I am running at a good pace...no gasping, no aches in my shins...just a relaxing repetitive movement. So I move on...I jump rope for awhile...trying new tricks to show my teen class..move on to some toning. It was a good workout but I wasn't going to puke...I didn't need to stumble for my inhaler.

I am in good shape and that idea feels really good. I suppose I knew I was in ok shape but I've finally given up on numbers on the scale...I don't obsess over the softness of my belly...I focus on how I feel. I can carry laundry up two flights of stairs without exhaustion. I can sprint after my fearless 3yo. I can show my daughter how to have fun and exercise at the same time (especially since she is complaining about TaeBo videos being forced upon her in PE). I feel better focused on life after relieving stress.

I guess its nice to feel at peace about something in life.

Toys...what happened?

As many of you have seen, the holiday toy ads were out before Halloween this year. My kids love to look at them over and over again and let us know what Santa should bring. I like to see what's out there...what they should send is a battery catalog! (note: we invested in rechargeable batteries awhile ago)

Almost every toy now either needs batteries or is put into something with batteries. Why? Can't the kids make animal noises? Can they play with a barn that doesn't light up? At work, we received some cool dinosaurs...however they all made noises, so I promptly removed the batteries (I do this all the time). One kid kept bringing it over to me and telling me it didn't work. After a couple tries (telling him to make a dinosaur sound), he finally happily played with it.

I also stopped at the bookstore the other day...and now apparently books have to have something extra too. It is hard to buy a book without an accompanying toy.



Let kids play...use their imaginations...give them a tub of paper towel rolls and they'll be happy, a package of construction paper with scissors and markers, a good set of building blocks.

My kids have always favored the contents of the kitchen cabinets, basics of crayons and paper, matchbox cars and truck, basic figurines, jumping on their beds...



If you still feel like you need some thing new and exciting, try our new favorite toy, Toobeez. They are like giant tinker toys. My kids have built a fort, desk, lasers, beds for their teddy bears, cars....




They happen to be having a great deal on Toobeez right now too....click here!