Love the Life you Live

I found out today that the biological mother of my half-sibling is deceased. That child was placed for adoption when I was about four or five months old. I suppose that I was the lucky one of the two of us, having a mother who got married because she had to rather, rather than having a father who was already married to someone other than my mother. It is just an odd sort of reality, when you play the "what if" game.

Anyhow, I spent some time reading recollections about orphans' experiences in this place (a large one in Chicago) and it just reinforces to me that the love of parents and family is worth a whole lot more than money. This has me left feeling very sad for children whose parents couldn't afford them, or didn't want them.

Now on to the money stuff:

(1) Sump pump is on the fritz, broken sensor or something. It was expensive and had a life time warranty. DH is trading it in for a new one tonight. Money saved: at least $150 to replace it

(2) My generic Rx was $13 less at Dominick's than at Jewel Osco. Don't know why, it was the same product. I ended up with another $25 off of $50 coupon that I'll use for Easter.

(3) I saved $1.20 buying crayons at Target instead of Walgreens.

All for now.

The youngest child was beastly yesterday. I am *not* used to beastly children. I assumed it was my karma coming to get me - a friend and I walked seven 4th graders to their art class (a one time class to earn their Artist Merit Badge for cub scouts). Five of the seven are a handful - and I was thankful that mine and his best friend weren't in *that* group of kids who can't listen, keep their hands to themselves, and pay careful attention to what grown-ups say.

Well, the youngest had a major issue not getting the remote and JUMPED ON his sister trying to get it. This is while I'm trying to reasonably speak to the kids about what is acceptable. He had no impulse control. He put his hands on her and left NAIL MARKS. OH NO! I was officially a parent of one of *those* children. I suppose my look of horror and disappointment in his behavior was enough for him to realize his behavior was regrettable. He sobbed as his sister counted the nail marks. It was awful.

Of course this was right as we're trying to get out the door to get the 4th grader to Tutoring at 5:00, younger ones to Grandma's at 5:10, Oldest to High School for Spanish Placement test at 5:30 and younger daugher to dance at 6:00. And I needed gas in between those destinations. Anyhow, the youngest had watering eyes and cried and apologized and cried and coughed. I was relieved to find out that he had a temperature and slept most of the evening when I got home at 8:00.

So sickling is here today, better behaved watching Looney Tunes on the Cartoon Network. I finished and filed our state taxes and expect a $1,066 refund. The money can't get here fast enough -I spent $200 on uniforms yesterday for oldest at Freshman Orientation Night. We need a new lawn mower (estimating $200 for that). And I see our list of expenditures growing. Just when it seems like I've gottten caught up, the list reappears and grows.

Well, my mother is brining us bagels and cream cheese from Great American Bagel. The weather is still glorious and warm, and I think I'm going to sneak out to the deck and take a nap.

The definition of "content": rest of mind or satisfaction with the way things are.

I've been doing a decent job of keeping my priorities straight. Last month I declared "I hate my camera" after comparing the quality of my digital photos with those of my stepdad's expensive Nikon camera and magical lens that snapped great pictures of my kids in action at their sporting event. I even fantasized about owning a similar Nikon, I complained to my husband, got my friend involved (she's a spender at hear with little regard for needs over wants). I almost agreed to spend $700 on a great package deal on a Nikon at Costco. I then prudently decided to wait until after i got my state tax refund. Fast forward to yesterday, when I came across the package of the original photos that I wasn't pleased with. Guess what? I found them all fun and delightful, realizing that the quality was fine for my purpose - leafing through and remembering the fun times. The people aren't actually fuzzy and they are nice pictures. And the goofy thing is, my mother always gives me copies of the great "action" photos. Pfft, I don't know what I was thinking.

I've had some real moments of clarity lately. Mostly having to do with apprehension on lack of money and wondering how I'll ever deal with things. DH is going to be entering five years of academia to become a Deacon, and at the end, he will be able to make $10K less than what he is presently making (or an additional $600 a month if he continues to work full time in his present capactiy, but that isn't the plan).

The first Random Act of Kindness that I was the recipient of was an assortment of wonderful clothes (brand new) for my oldest son. (Thank you, NJ Debbie, again!!) My son was thrilled at the new clothes, that he won't have to wear the same outfit to Easter, his sister's Confirmation and Graduation, and Mother's Day.

The second Random Act of Kindness that I was the recipient of was the offer of uniform shirts for my older daughter. A family in our neighborhood has two daughters who will be jr/sr and the uniform changes so they will have the frosh/soph uniform shirts. Now all we will need is bottoms. And since my daughter is planning on trying out for pom pons/dance team, we've had the offer of possible outfit help there, too.

The third Random Act of Kindness was yesterday at my mom's house; we were celebrating brother's birthday and he said he has a huge bag of clothes for DH who is in desperate need of items since he's down 20+ pounds from last year. A was a bit concerned since my trip to the resale store on Friday yielded NOTHING decent in his size. Now I am glad that I didn't buy anything because he really doesn't need anything.

With the 75+ degree weather I was concerned about the lack of clothes for the boys. I had a $10 off of $50 coupon from Old Navy (last Sun's paper). I had a $20 from dog watching and I didn't want to spend anything more than $30 from the already pinched budget. I headed over on Friday and ended up getting three pairs of shorts and three shirts for an OOP of $26 on the debit card ($10 off and $20 cash).

So, I guess that I'm learning that the things that I stress about, ultimately end up being taken care of, one way or the other. Hand-me-downs or sales/coupons, it all gets taken care of.

Another biggie: I was a bit concerned about our financial situation and the great unknown of financial assistance/scholarships and grants. Then my daughter let me know she was nominated for another $1,500 scholarship (that was two weeks ago and I blogged about it earlier in the month).

My younger daughter is reading "The Prizewinner of Definace, Ohio: or how my mother raised ten kids on 25 words or less.". I read it, thought it was a sweet story, despite the antics of the husband who was a somewhat shady character who ultimately redeemed himself at the end of the story.

So, I am working on contentment. I think I might be moving toward it.

Wishing you a Happy St. Patty's Day!

I will share my favorite blessings with you:

May the road rise up to meet you;
May the wind be always at your back;
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
The rains fall soft upon you fields;
And, until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

And my second favorite blessing:

May you always walk in sunshine,
May you never want for more.
May Irish angels rest their wings right beside your door.

We celebrate with "The Quiet Man" and shamrock shakes. Maybe I'll bake a batch of soda bread with chocolate chips, too. Anyhow, however you celebrate, enjoy your day when everyone is Irish!

Erin go braugh!

I've worked through the budget for March, and it looks like we are on lean times for the next short while. (So far in March I've taken care of major extraneous expenses: $301.50 toward current tuition bill, $550 tuition deposit for daughter's high school, $190 for cub scout camp this summer, and $150 for Irish dance shoes). So those are line-through items and I'm pleased with that.

However, we have the trip to the State Science Fair, hotel room booked but not paid for $175 plus gas and other expenses.

We have Easter, my daughter's confirmation in April, and graduation in June. I still need to make my $500 IRA contribuion and I'm really hoping to maintain the $15,000 in the EF because property taxes are coming up in June, too.

I have had small money coming in this week: $100 for used shoes I sold, $30 for dog sitting.

I was frugal today, spending only $2.50 for a tip for my son's free haircut (got a coupon for a new place that just opened up by my mom's), and I picked up my daughter's inhaler which is covered 100% by HSA funds and I did get a $25 off of $50 on my next shopping trip. I diligently matched up the sale ad with coupons, and I will be getting some hair color for $3, nice brand Gevalia coffee for $3, plus cheaper than Aldi's prices on granola bars and cereal.

Tonight it has been basically a feeding frenzy free for all, we've made about ten pieces of peanut butter toast (no one wanted PB and J sandwiches), I ate the last packet of Quaker oatmeal, DH is doing a low carb/high protein diet and had to have his two cans of tuna with Ceasar dressing and salt/pepper, we've gone trhough the remaining cans of fruit cocktail, madarin oranges, green beans, and cream-style corn. We've finished up the OJ, and the flavored water from Aldi's. Bananas are gone, as are strawberries. If any one is hungry the remainder of the evening it is finish up the apple slices with peanut butter and the carrots. The cupboard and fridge are alarmingly bare.

So, I suppose I will be stretching my dollars until they scream. The $3 per gallon of milk and the $4 per gallon of gas scare me

OK, if it were April 1st, I wouldn't believe if someone said they sent their kids to school without coats. Bare arms April 1? Joking, totally. Well, here it is March 15th, and my children went to school without coats, bare arms, sun shining down on them. It looks like it should be May 20th (or some other odd random day as the school year is wrapping up). DH went out the door without a coat, too.

The warm weather has yielded several "must have items" which are now on the "needed items": (1) sunglasses for one child, (2) flip flops for the girls.

Do you think I can officially move the boots from the coat closet to the basement? Anyhow, the 70s appear to be remaining all week!

I am officially poor. No money in the checking account. Today's transacation of $67.55 for the Y will post tomorrow. I have a balance of $68.37. I budgeted $15 for shopping yesterday at Aldi's for those spare items to stretch the budget. I spent $15.77, mostly on fresh produce: a canteloup, an avocado, 3# bananas, and some strawberries.

I'm supposed to go out with my mother today, but I only have enough gas in the car to pick my kids up from school today and then head to the gas station tomorrow. I asked my mom to drive instead. She doesn't like to drive. I said I am really lacking in gas. She owes me $17 which she said she'll give me and I can put in my gas tank. I had other plans for those funds. We then disagreed about the price of gas in our neighborhood. Seems to me that simple things are having a way of becoming very complicated. I'm having to figure out ways to deal with: deep breathing and sometimes just shaking my head to myself. I suppose I should have said let's just go out tomorrow. (sigh)

My daughter socialized for the first time since the drama with my "friend"'s daughter. She stayed and chatted for 15 minutes when she came to pick her daughter up. She actually acted like nothing was wrong then jumped right into a whole story about how she was annoyed with Target and the ads and something about Embrace Venus razors and refills and a $5 gift card after making the purchase. She was so annoyed that she's been back to customer service twice and has called the complaint hotline, etc. Her daughter then said, "Do you believe my mom was peeling potatoes yesterday and said - a week later - 'I still can't believe that about the razors, I'm so mad!' ." Her son was then whining about being thirsty so I told my daughter to take him in and get him a drink (at this point we're outside on my covered entryway). Five minutes later, after coming back out, her son walks into my house (we're all outside) and closes the front door behind him.

"*T*, you don't walk into people's houses!" she yells.

To which I said, "He apparently does!" (ha ha chuckle) But I'm thinking to myself, bad behaviors from anyone won't be tolerated, her kids included.

DD did a good job being polite to "friend" despite "friend's" comment to/adbout my child. I think that the most awkward part is over, encountering one another after the whole $5 pizza incident and the blatant attack on my parenting. BUT, I have learned that it really had nothing to do with me. And in the course of the conversation, she complained about lots of things (in only 15 minutes). I definitely concluded I don't want to a bitter person like that. I hope that Target successfully resolves the outstanding issue with her (and to be honest, I couldn't really follow it.)

I think I'll spend a bit of time now planning the money (in greater detail) for the 16th and 30th paychecks.

Hope it is warm where you all are!

Milk was previously $2.30 at Aldi's for the past forever, now at $2.99, but we'll round up to $3.

Gas is now $4.21 in suburban Chicagoland where I live.

Yikes, we're a gallon of milk a day family. Might have to re-resort to powdered milk for baking (we go through lots of waffles here and that is at least 3 cups of milk a go).

I did make my first purchases for Christmas 2012 today at the mall, at 85% clearance:

For MIL - a nice housedress/coat lounger that she wears - $76 MSRP, for $8.08

For FIL - a nice flannel shirt long-sleeved Chaps for $7.00.

So I will be stretching my bcks until they scream for mercy.

1) Payday and rent collection is Friday, and I've managed to cut the finances very close, closer than usual. We had our weekend away on 3/3 (had higher gas costs, two meals out, and the cost of the water park tickets). Our extaneous funds also included paying for camp this summer ($190) and dance shoes for my daughter ($150) so that helped wipe out the balance that I usually try to carry. So today I started with $25 less $10 DH is putting in his gas tank. I'm off to Aldi's to buy a gallon of milk, eggs and bananas. So dinner tonight looks like it is left overs (which will put together a very odd/random smorgasborg) and waffles tomorrow. Breakfast and lunch items until mid Friday will be very basic (peanutbutter and jelly sandwiches and apples and pretzel, plus toast and apple slices). Been awhile since it's been like this!

2) With the two remaining pay periods this month (16th and 30th), I'll be able to pay the remaining $500 contribution to my IRA, and should finish out with a $15,000 balance in the EF.

3) Yesterday, DD and I went to her high school. I dropped off all remaining paperwork for the application and financial aid, plus the $550 deposit. We went to buy her a t-shirt and they didn't take debit cards, only cash or checks. DD was a bit disappointed, but quickly pointed out that we'll be back next Tuesday to finalize her Fall schedule and we can pick it up then.

4) A neighbor on the far end of our subdivision (of 110 houses) has two girls who are soph/jr at the same school. We started talking yesterday when I was walking the dogs. She encouraged me have my daughter try out for pom poms (she's the parent of previous Irish dancers) in April - a great way to make friends and while it is competitive, my girls should have a chance). Suprising, DD agreed it might be fun, and then she and her sister were doing dance routines in the living room all night. Oh, to be young again with the whole vast experience of high school stretching out ahead ... (wistful sigh)

5) MIL has in the past been snarky about our finances. In particular, two years ago I was placing an order for "spirit wear" at our school (items like T-shirts and sweatshirts and hoodies with the school name and logo that can be personalized with your family last name). At that point DH wanted BOTH a t-shirt and a hoodie. I had to laugh because he's not even a student at the school. I told him to pick one because I had to buy for the five students who go there. MIL heard me say this and said, "It hurts me to hear you say that my son can't have both." and I think I laughed and said something like "Well, you pay for one of them." Two weeks later, MIL sent a check for the second item. At Christmas she was here and we were talking about DH's exercies class/working with a personal trainer. He used his Christmas money for that ($280) and she said something like, "Well, I hope that this is something that he can continue with throughout the year." And I said something like, "After $300 a month for dance lessons, $86 a month for music lessons, and $60 for the Y membership, that probably isn't a realistic thing." Since then, MIL's been sending $100 - $125 a month for DH's exercise class. I haven't comingled or touched those funds and I can plunker down $300 for the next go around (April-June).

6) Summer remains in suburban Chicago, but for how long?

Over at Crystal's moneysavingmom.com there is a coupon for $15 off of a $15 purchase at The Limited (excludes clearance). Summer is apparently here, 70+ degrees in Illinois with bright sun shining and we saw a female duck on the fence and her male counterpart on the roof of the minivan. Lots of squirrel activity, too. Anyhow, head over and check it out, coupon expires on 3/15.

I dog-sat my mother's Yorkie-Poo yesterday and today, so I have a crisp $20 in my pocket.

So I've reigned in the spending and have money dribbling in. Nice!

I am slowing clearing out and cleaning up. My dancing daughters go through shoes at an alarming rate, and now that they are both on toe it isn't resonable for the younger one to wear the older one's cast offs. So that said, I had six pairs of ghillies and seven pairs of hard shoes in a small pile in the basement.

My girls danced last Saturday at our Parish/School's St. Pat's Dinner Dance and there was also a 4th grader who danced the reel. I have a 4th grader as well, so I was talking to the mother. She mentioned she needed shoes (preferably used) and I said I had a huge stash. I dropped them off at school last Tuesday.

I got an email from the mother that her daughter found both a pair of hard and soft shoes that she'll be buying. $100 for something sitting there collecting dust. New: the ghillies run $75 and the hard shoes are $150, so she's getting a good price, and I'm $100 richer.

Found money is going toward the trip to Champaign/Urbana for the State Science Fair. I'm $100 ahead!

My 8th grader and her best friend put together a pretty neat Science Fair project: What makes stains stay? They took scquares of 100% cotton fabric and let them soak in various liquids (grape juice, ketchup, coffee, gatorade, apple juice, soy sauce). They then washed the squares in laundry detergent to determine which liquid left the darkest stain. They made color charts to see how much the stains lightened up. They researched cotton production, chemical reactions, etc.

They did well at their school level and were moved onto our Diocese's Regional State Farm yesterday. So we left at 6:45, arrived at 7:15, got them set up. One of the teachers gave birth 10 weeks early and wasn't able to be at the State Fair, so the other teacher asked that I be the other "sponsor". So DH and I went with her and we were official volunteers. I had the good fortune of being a tabulator with 7 others calculated and rechecked the judges scores. I was lucky enough that randomly my daughter's sheets came past me. The girls got 103/115 earning them a "Gold" ranking (96-115) and they're going to State.

So we'll be in Champaign/Urbana May 4th and 5th. We've got the room booked at good rate $139 and I'll have to squeeze funds from the remainder of March and April for the Banquet/gas/food. I'm very proud of my daughter.

And I ended up spending an unplanned $42 for a impromptu surprise celebratory lunch with DH, daughter and her best friend. Well worth it!

And I also ended up spending an additional $42 for tickets to the spring musical at the high school my daughter will be attending in the Fall (my alma mater, and her Choice B) HOWEVER I'm seeing that she's becoming much more excited about going, and asked if I would buy her a T-shirt with the schoo name/logo. Definitely worth the $16 for her to start identifying herself with this place. We saw "Fiddler on the Roof" and I'm amazed at the caliber of talent. And my daughter said to me, "Gee, I think I'd like to sing and dance as an "extra" next year."

All is good!

My wake/sleep cycle is still a bit whacked, leaving me prone to sleepless nights and cath-up naps at odd hours. I got through spurts and cycles, and I'm hoping it's ending soon. I happened to be napping at 7:00 on the couch in the family room, my boys love the show "Ninjago" featuring characters made of Legos battling an evil dojo. Anyhow, at 7:15 my older daughter wakes me up and given me a thick envelope.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, I'm being nominated for a scholarship. They'd like the forms by Friday."

Turns out that she is the student that our parish's CCW decided to nominate, based on those who value Catholic education the most and also have a demonstrated financial need.

My 4th grader is listening intently to this. We were talking about demonstrated financial need with our 7th grader, we have a large family on a not-so-large salary, in a very expensive area, and we are sevice-oriented in our the amount of time and talent we share with our parish family. He took away from that the simple idea "We're poor?!?"

I love that he has missed the fact that he doesn't pariticpate in the extremely competitive and expensive hockey team that most of the other students in his grade due. (Where a set of skates cost $200 and hockey sticks are $150). I love the fact that he is happy with his small day trips during Spring Break (to the Arboretum, Zoo, Museum) and that he misses the fact that most people in his grade vacation in Cancun or Aspen, Colorado. I love the fact that he is happy to have new-to-him clothes (muchos gracias a Debbie de New Jersey ), I love the fact that he is happy to be able to pick three hot lunches a months (out of the eight available days, because that is all I can afford). I love the fact that he is thrilled that he can fit into my old Rollerblades. I guess looking at it from his POV, it is kind of shocking that we are deemed "poor".

Thankfully we've done scholarships earlier this year, so it is just a matter of copying more paperwork and making two phone calls to add this scholarship to the list of people who can access my daughter's information. I am off to type her letter to the Scholarship Committee now.

Tomorrow is the Regional Science Fair that oldest daughter moved on to. Should be lots of fun. DH and I are going and volunteering. I'm hoping that her project moves onto State. She and her partner did a great job.

Intentional Living. That is what I'm trying to do lately, mostly inspired by Lent. Thinking about what I'm doing rather than just doing. It's involved turning the TV off and rereading some of my old favorites with the younger kids (Junie B. Jones, for example). It's a matter of bringing CDs into the car to listen to, rather than putting on the radio to listen to any old thing. It's planning for a few days in adavance, and being able to be flexible at the same time.

Observations: We're adhering to an earlier bed time and listening to a book on tape. Children are happier when they are better rested. Grocery shopping: I'm going every fourth day. I'm spending WAY less and my fridge seems full all the time (rather than bare as Mother Hubbard by Day 11 when I shop every two weeks). The chaos level in the house has diminished with the nicer weather outside. We've engaged the boys in coming up with Cub Scout badges and requirements they'd like to work on. The girls are going to do a Cheerleading camp this summer and didn't ask if they could invite friends, they seemed happy to be with each other (I think they'll have some separation issues next school year when they are at different schools )

I also cast aside worry about finances in light of DH considering the diaconite. We've had the good fortune of generosity from a cyber friend when I was worried about clothes. We've had the good fortunte that our girl is being considered for a scholarship given the high cost of secondary Catholic education. It is all fine.

I am back from the bank where I deposited the rental property income and "regular" savings amount for $1,000 total to the EF (beefing that up because of some major expenses like property taxes and pre-paid college tuition payments both due in June) (My goal for March is $2,500 - mas o menos, given non-concrete extraneous expenditures upcoming).

I have also paid (put on American Express and then promptly paid) $190 for Boy Scout camp (expecting an additional $25 rebate back from our Pack) and $152.50 for new hard shoes for daughter.

My next go around of money influx (the 16th which is both payday and rent collection) will probably only yield $500 to savings. I will pay my daughter's tuition deposit at parochial high school Choice B of $550.

That's it for moving the money.

We're back from our short weekend away. We played hookey on Friday and spent most of the day at a wonderful indoor water park in Lake Geneva, WI. Water slides, lazy river, hot tub, pool basketball, you name it. Tons of fun. We packed our snacks and the cost for admission was $90, we ate out at Culvers for just under $30 and that was after redeeming coupons for some free kids meals. We opted for an inroom movie for $13.99, too. A lot of fun.

My girls had a dance competition on Saturday at the resort we stayed at - it is very easy to wake up and get ready and open the door and head to the stage - rather than wake up early at home, get everyone fed and into the car, drive at least two hours, then hurry to figure out your stage and get dressed in your costume and wig. Anyhow, my younger daughter took 8th out of 19 and placed with a trophy. My older daughter didn't place in any of the regular dances but took a 2nd in the reel special and a 5th in the treble reel special (both are fundraisers and are a nice way to give back). Not a bad show of performance - On the way back it was Wendy's for a total of $21 (had a coupon and saved a whopping $1). I had packed breakfast and snacks again from home to save money.

We then headed back to IL and had to get the girls ready to perform at our parish/school's St. Pat's Dinner Dance. It was fun, the girls dance with a group of four older girls as they've worked together for over five years, so it was fun and low-pressure. Forgot to add that younger daughter got new hard shoes for $152.90 (there is now a frequent buyer program - your 11th pair of shoes are free - and I think I will make a few bucks selling off the whole stash of old shoes I have for $50 to a mother of a younger dancers at our academic school. )

The only frustration came when we ran into my "friend" in the school vestibule. The kids danced earlier than usual and we were leaving at 8:00 PM. "Friend" made two snide comments to my 13 year old:

1) "Oh, did you know the basketball team LOST by one point today? Did you know that our team was really weak on rebounds and St. *'s team really dominated? We could of used your rebound skills." Really? Do you need to try to put it all onto my kid? She's a good, scrappy little rebounder (9 in the last game she played with the team), but it's not like she's the only one to play defensively well. I've come to see her snarkiness while smiling as what it is, rather predatory.

2) "Did you manage to work it out - the difficulty dancing in your new dress? I'm sure you didn't want a repeat of the Oireachtas." OK, this is a low blow, my daughter didn't fare very well at the last Mid America Championships because her new dress was quite stiff and heavy, having moved from a two piece into a one-piece that weighs six pounds due to the weight of the Swarovsky crystals. I just used to chalk her demeanor off as being a "tell it like it is" person.

My girl didn't really miss a beat and said, "I pulled a score in the top 50%, so I think I'm doing ok."

Thank goodness for loyal little brothers who will pipe in, "And she got a big trophy."

So back to the grind of life in the fast lane, though it's slowing down with the absence of basketball practices.

Off to catch up on blogs.

Target used to be a bad place for me ... a place where I could easily come out with four unnecessary items, whether it be cute socks, a decorative item, a book, etc. It became especially bad when I could run in for grocery items too.

I stopped going to Target at all for awhile, learning more toward lean time spendings (Walmart - which I really dislike in a major way) and Aldi's.

I should add that I applied for a RED Debit Card which takes the money directly from the checking account, and I suppose that every little bit counts in "saving while spending".

Today we were in need of some items: namely a swim suit for older daughter (we've got a day at the indoor water park planned tomorrow). She found two pieces on clearance for a total of $17. Younger daughter found a very cute sundress with some real potential for Easter on sale for $18. My children have learned the art of window shopping recently, the "you can look and see what you like, and file it away on your mental list, and don't ask me to buy it for you." I approved the dress because it is an item that will be used in the short-term future and will save me running around in the future.

So out of pocket I spent $42 (from the checking account) with the clothing items and the forgotten donuts for breakfast Saturday in the hotel. Nothing frivolous, nothing unnecessary - I was a totally responsible and sound shopper.

I was ready for March, to psychologically turn the page on February.

Tomorrow we are taking the kids out of school and heading to the indoor waterpark in Lake Geneva, WI. We plan on getting there at around 11:00 and staying until dinner time, then we check into our room at the Grand Geneva Resort. My girls have an Irish Dance competition on Saturday. It will be very nice not to have to get up at some ridiculous hour, get everyone fed and in the car and drive 2 hours to get to our destination by 9:30. There are later dance start times, which mean a much more leisurely time for us.

I'm budgeting $250 for gas and food. The hotel is paid for and was a gift from my inlaws at Christmas.

I've decided that since this is an extra paycheck month, I'll put $2500 toward debt/savings (for some upcoming expenses). I was going to try to put that at $3,000 - but my daughter needs new dance shoes at $160, and I paid for Cub Scout Camp today for $190 (though I will be reimbursed $25 from the Pack).

The situation with my "friend" has passed, though I suspect that she is really on the edge. Her antic of the week that raised a few eyebrows was this: our girls are on the same girls' basketball B Team (the less athletically gifted girls ) and this weekend is the playoffs. Their overall record puts them in second place. The first round of playoffs game is Saturday (which my girl is missing due to the competition). One of the coach's wives has planned a "late night" getting the girls together for dinner and games and some fun, and they'll have the girls home by 10:30-11:00. My daughter is going late because after her competition, she is entertaining at the school/parish's St. Pat's Dinner Dance.

I really hate the "reply all" on emails, but my "friend" responded to the kind invitiation with a "don't we want them to be well rested for the game on Sunday? they haven't performed well at the game on the day of the Fun Fair when they all worked. Last year we had the get-together the night before the final game, and do you remember how tired the girls were from the all the 'fun'? And if you forgot, we lost. Am I the only overthinker with this? Shouldn't the girl celebrate POST season?"

Of the nine girls on the team, no one responded to her email, with the exception of the other coach who wrote: I think that girls would benefit from a night of "spirited fun". Since our game is at 1:00 PM on Sunday, the girls should be able to sleep in and be well rested for the next day's game. We don't want to be jinxed talking about last year. A new year, a new tradition!"

I don't think I'd go so far as to question anyone's sensibilities if they are offering to host a fun get-together. I can only imagine what is going on at her house right now. Her daughter is acting very stand-offish with my child, who is able to withstand the brush off, seeing she has other friends. Apparently the girl is eating lunch by herself. Sadly, there isn't much that I can do.

(sigh) I am left alone to my own devices, my children are out and about and I'm in hormone-induced "frazzled" as my mother referred to me. My sense of humor has abandoned me (maybe the emotional havoc from the previous week has caught up with me, despite my best efforts to move on.) This is the first month on fertility drugs and I have forgotten how nuts it can make me. Oh, joy.

We had the Cub Scout Blue and Gold Dinner last night, a fun time was had by all. Cost $25 for a evening of dinner and entertainment for the entire family. The theme was Olympics, and my oldest son won 2nd Place in the cake decorating contest (he designed a ski hill made with the top of the big top cupcake set and a Playmobil skier on it). He won a $10 gift certificate to our town (to be used at local vendors). Youngest son came in 2nd place in the Pinewood Derby so he got a trophy.

DH and I had a discussion about our future. He's not cut out for corporate America and is seriously going to pursue the diaconite program in the Catholic Church, ultimately becoming a Deacon (think the closest thing to a priest that a married man can become). It is a five year program and full-time employment pays about $10k less than what he presently makes. We're also getting our act together about International adoption, paperwork and homestudy stuff. I don't think it would be so overwhelming if I wasn't whacked out right now.

Money-wise, still on auto-pilot. Anticipating $3000 funds to be applied to savings/debt after March's three paycheck and three rent collections. We've got a weekend away planned for Friday (taking the kids out of school and heading up to the indoor water park in Wisconsin, where my daughters happen to have a competition on Saturday) so it should be leisurely. The room and competition fees are paid for. I've budgeted $250 for wateprark entrance fees, dinner Friday, gas there and back and lunch on Saturday.

The weekly spending is also inline. I spent $107 at Aldi's for groceries for the week including all cleaning/household/and cake decorating supplies. DH is doing a high protein limited carb diet and I've been happy to see that it shouldn't really break the budget.

That is all I know right now.

Seems to me that we're settling into a calmer time here. Less TV, less chaos, less talking about the ongoings of other families More quality time with siblings and parents. Re-embracing the gift of family.

Money is auto-pilot, bills paid. Took care of things and planned the budget for March which has the additional paycheck in it. Looks like I'll be able to tackle the annual prepaid tuition payments with those funds and that will leave the remainder of 2012 to take care of: $2500 to savings, $3000 last debt eradication, $4000 property tax on rental property.

My older daughter "shadowed" at the High School Choice B (earlier posts talk about this) which I happen to be a graduate of. It is a smaller school than Choice A by several hundred. She had a good experience and I think is more open-minded about the opportunities it might present to her. We are going to see the school's Spring Musical there in March and she seemed happy about that, the whole family going.

My grandmother is planning on coming for my daughter's 8th Grade Graduation. I am happy about that, she's 92 and lives in Southern CA and is in good health. It is easier for her to come to visit than getting my crew out there.

Just odd rambles I see as I reread my post. Hope everyone has a great day.

The new philosophy in the house: To be kind and peaceful in our actions and behavior. No mean words about others and being helpful and nice. Purposeful and deliberate. Non-complicated and organized.

It was nice to shut the door to the drama of the past few days. I am hoping to help my daughter by reminding her that she has cast a wide net of friends and she has plans to socialize on Friday with two other friends outside of the circle. At this point, I am definitely setting and maintaining boundaries, and I was surprised that I am over the disappointment in my friend's behavior. When I was asked if I was really ultimately surprised, I had to say no. Writing on the wall, enough said.

We've limited TV use in the house. Rather than sit and watch TV, we've got the art supplies out and in easy reach. We've got a jigsaw puzzle going on the dining room table. I've pulled out some fun books to read with each of my boys and hope to make it more than these three during Lent, but my goal is starting out modest.

We've started digging through and cleaning out stuff. DH is no longer a 220 pound man so he parted with lots of old things yesterday. I've tackled all the piles in my room (I'm a secret piler - queen of organized chaos ). It is feeling good to be free of this stuff. Why were we keeping it in the first place?

Next week I am motivated to take my lamps to the other consignment store, and post pictures of my other item (the rosewood opium daybed) that I desperately want to get rid of. I've got an Rx to transfer for the $25 off of $50 grocery bill coupon to get (will help to defray Easter dinner cost with those). I think I've broken through the desire to be a coupon clipping queen. I didn't bother to match up coupons with sale ads this week at all, though I did peruse through the coupons and took only a few I know I'll spend.

Well, enough for now. Hope that everyone has a good day.

Thank you for lending support to my post of yesterday. It is obvious that I don't do well with unprovoked confrontations. I wish I could say that there was less drama, younger daughter was upset by what friend's mother is saying to parent of another friend. Oldest son said that younger sister of friend (middle child for my "friend") made him feel uncomfortable in class by saying on more than one occasion "your sister made my sister cry." OK ... my message after all of this was "Everyone has an opinion, whether right or wrong. Let's go have a snack and watch a movie."

At this point it would serve no purpose to let my kids see how much this woman rattled my chain. I did talk to my "inner circle" about this, my brother and best friend. My brother's advice: Ignore. Those who want to manipulate with disorganization and changing the rules of the game want attention. Ignore her! My best friend's advice: Aw, she's just nuts. Give *M* a hug and tell her we'll go out soon for ice cream. Lesson learned here: My inner circle has my back, despite the issues of the moment they face. They've got my back.

I saw my "friend" at Mass today (Ash Wednesday) and she left before Mass was over. When I got home I saw her husband called from his cell phone and didn't leave a message. I am officially done with this, done talking about it and am giving no more audience to nonsense. Our Lenten journey as a family has begun and I'll happily move along, saying a prayer for the family. If my daughter wants to socialize in a week or two, that is fine. I do feel that her daughter will be hurt the most by a falling out with my daughter. But I don't trust her mother to accurately portray what I said to her. Enough!

And since it is Lent, and we're meat-free today, it will be Little Cesar's cheese pizza party pack for dinner tonight! Fish sticks and tater tots on Friday.

Thanks again for the support. I feel like this is a place I can come and share some things and get some general support, even though non-financial.

This is a rant with the only financial aspect being a $5 pizza. But it might amuse you, or you could offer insight.

Our social network at this point is mostly the parochial school that our kids attend and the volunteer activities that we are involved in at the parish we worship at. I'm not outwardly social, but I do have a circle of friends that I'm generally happy with, unitl yesterday.

One of the people I regard as my closest of those friends through me for a loop yesterday. She is apparently having issues with her daughter (7th grade) who hero-worships my 7th grader. My daughter is happy to be middle of the road, not a Queen Wannabe. She's happily the least popular of the populars or the most popular of the unpopulars. It doesn't bother her and she has quite a few friends that she floats between.

Apparently my friend is *tired* of listening to the way things are at my house. I *let* my then 7th Grader skip Field Day last year and do something else (in her opinion, ditching isn't OK). She didn't like that I *let* my daughters wear strapless dresses to the Father-Daughter Dance at school (they were modest and tasteful, looked beautiful, and wore appropriate shrugs at the event). I *let* my daughters see "Twilight: Breaking Dawn." Get-togethers with friends at my house can last hours and hours. I will accomodate last minute requests for sleepovers. At my house, you won't be bothered by younger siblings, etc. etc.

OK, I don't usually comment on what goes on in other people's houses, though I have my own ideas. My children are regarded as kind and polite and most family's at the school have 2.5 kids, we double that. My friend is a control-freak who is a helicopter parents and the things she has shared with me about other people's kids have me feeling that her daughter will have no boundaries and it is no wonder she's turning out sneaky and manipulative. The mother's behavior has forced the daughter to have a very jaded view of her. The parents fight. There's been some domestic issues involving becoming physical. Leave me out of it. I don't want to sit down with your child. Get a real therapist. I hung up my hat a long time ago.

The worst blow came when she said, "My child is OK eating Little Ceasar's pizza at your house. Why is it that at my house they have to eat Home Run Inn pizzas which set me back $50 for two?"

I know my child well enough to know that she'd never express any sentiment other than politeness, and I feel bad that I actually said, "My child had an issue with what you were feeding her?" Maybe too incredulously,

My friend said, "No it is my child. She's just not happy with anything."

My husband was accused of being too enthusiastic about life. My daughter was accused of snubbing this grown-up friend, though she back-pedaled a bit when I said, "You mean my daughter has been disrespectful for over a year and you haven't told me." and then I was insightful enough to say, "You've said that *M* has said that don't like (my daughter). Could that have been communicated to (my daughter) somehow and she is responding to that situation?"

I had to say that while they can still socialize, I think there should be clear limits on the amount of time spent (to address my so-called friends concerned about lots of time spent at my house) together, my daughter won't be called, I also said that I don't want my daughter communicating about things that I say to her with the other girl, and vice versa. I said that she (my friend) should encourage her daughter to have other friends outside of my daughter because it doesn't appear to be healthy for anyone involved.

And I wanted to candidly say, "I keep my household running on $100 a week. That is food, paper, cleaning products, pet food, fresh produce, dairy, meat, etc.). And if I don't feel like feeding everyone tuna and noodle casserole when friends are over, I will buy the party pack at Little Cesar's for $16 which will get me two pizzas, breadsticks sauce and a 2L of soda."

Leave me alone.

Not much on the money front, everything is on auto-pilot. Tenant paid her rent. Taking care of extraneous list items as stated. Feeling somewhat better. No school tomorrow - looking forward to quiet day with hike at the Morton Arboretum and then picture appointment for older daughter at JCP.

I happened to have a bit of time to kill (15 minutes) before picking the kids up on Thursday (had no school on Friday). I stopped at our local hospital's resale store. I found this item: (it is exactly the same)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-1930-Mahogany-Bowfront-Breakfront-China-Cabinet-/360310577095?pt=Antiques_Furniture&hash=item53e42f17c7

It was marked $175. I pined away for it on Friday (in between all the running around, etc). DH is pretty amenable to a lot of things, but I did want him to take a look at it. We went on Saturday morning at around 10:20 (after a 9:00 AM basketball game). DH liked it and it was 1/2 off day. I bought it for .... drum roll ... $94.50 ($87.50 + tax). I am SO excited. We pick it up midweek.

Definitely the bargain of the year!

1) Older daughter is skiing at Wilmot Mountain on the IL/WI border. Thankfully they make their own snow as it is 47 degrees here. Cost for this: $53. Didn't have to buy anything, made due with what we have.
2) Younger daughter is out at her friend's house. We hosted her sleepover last night with two friends. I'm under the weather and she and her friend made me breakfast in bed and cleaned my house.
3) Thankfully my boys rediscovered Pet Pet Park, an online game place and they've managed to keep themselves occupied.
4) I wish my cold would go away. I feel baaaad.
5) My best friend's refrigerator broke and she's in a boot from a foot injury and I couldn't take her appliance shopping today. We went out for breakfast and I took her shopping to Walgreen's for toilet paper and Kleenex. I caught her cold.
6) Pay day today. Everything is on autopilot.
7) DH picks up rent today.
8) Nothing much more than that to report.

OK, it is with relief and a happy sigh that I can say that things appear to be on the right track for all. My daughter is no longer lamenting about the disappointment of the rejection letter from Choice A. I've found her on the computer (the only one is in the family room) looking at Choice B's website and she and her best friend (who will be attending Choice A) have spent more time together than usual. I think once they figure out that their friendship will remain intact despite going to different schools, things will be better.

My brother got an offer for part-time law work at his old firm. They'll cover his malpractice insurance and give him $x per month with the understanding that when something solid comes along they will give him a reference. No gap in his employment history. A recruiter had him rework his resume and there are other pokers in the fire. The silver lining in all this is the new girlfriend (who I've met and like immensely) appears to like him for who he is and not the trappings of what he should be. She was happy that he cooked dinner for her at his house. I think that he (my brother) is learning some valuable lessons about life and love throughout this time.

My best friend has had some major job drama despite this being her last week at the present job. She had an injury and has HR and Workman's Comp involved. Her supervisor manipulated the Oc Health doc's recommendations and put her on light duty (she lifts/is an OT in a hospital). Anyhow I've spent a lot of time listening to her and helping her rework emails and things to various people about her situation. All it takes it to threaten to get a lawyer involved and things change up. I don't advocate that in all situations, but the little phrase "upon advise of my counsel" (she did ask if brother would get involved. Probably not).

OK, now for hitting those little targets. Tomorrow is payday and rent collection so I will have $1,000 extraneous funds to take care of the following: (first amount is what I need to pay, second amount is what I will pay, third amount is remaining balance to carry over to March's funds)

CUB SCOUT CAMP: $160 - $160 - $0
HS TUITION DEPOSIT: $350 - $350 - $0
IRA CONTRIBUTION: $500 - $200 - $300
PRESENT TUITION BALANCE: $703 - $301.50 - $401.50

My Ira Contribution must be paid by 4/16, and the present tuition balance is due by 3/31.

So progress is being made slowly and surely tackling these extraneous expenses, though I am much better able to predict and budget for them now.

We're over the initial drama of *E* not getting into School A. Turns out she wasn't *the* only one not to gain admittance. (Previous post spelled it out: 504 applicants for 330 spots, of which 75% are legacy - you are guarnateed a spot if you've got a sibling, parent or grandparent as alumni). Turns out there were there at least eight. Her guraduating class is small with only 34 kids.

Our drama is over and done right now. She's off to the other parochial school which incidentally all it took was a phone call and the mention of my name as an alumni. My registration check fell out of the envelope for my first trip there yesterday. Most likely providence, because when I drove the check there I found out that my gym teacher is now the Vice Principal and she winked and said how great it was to have me back (read that as: daughter is in). I got a tour of the school. Back in the office after I ran into the parents of one of the twin girls who didn't get in (other twin did), so that was very nice to see though our girls aren't the greatest of friends. And turns out that my Homecoming Date Junior Year is now the Econ teacher and recognized me. Small world and interesting timing.

We pulled out my old yearbook and I suppose that my blank slate of not commenting on where daughter wanted to go lead her to believe I didn't particularly like the school. Well, a little bit of my entusiasm went a long way with her. It is a smaller school with only 180 students per year and it offers soccer and LaCross and has a great art studio. Older daughter now might not be so quick to stay, get a good GPA and leave. And they offer lots of nice things that could meet the needs of our family's diverse range of students: AP math and science for the really bright 2nd child, and inhouse academic support for those challenged (I have a dyslexic and dysgraphic in my mix, too).

When I graduated, tuition was $1,200 a year. Now it is a whopping $9,175, though my daughter will most likely be bringing $6,000 in scholarships and grants with her.

So, it is looking better here. I think we're over the hump over the despair about the "no thank you we can't offer you a spot". And as the Amdissions Director at School A did say, there isn't any reason why *E* can't get a diploma from School A. Her uncle can most likely get her in as a name, rather than a number like she is now.

My parochial high school cost $1,200 when I attended it. My oldest child is heading there this fall and the annual tuition is $9,175. I should add here that we won't be paying that much. My children have received grants of $500 to $1K each annually, and this child will most likely a $20K scholarship to cover $5K per year.

There was an interesting chain of events today that made for a change of attitude. I've been careful to be a blank slate when it comes to this child's choice of where she'd like to attend high school. I feel that maybe my lack of enthusiasm for my alma mater (not that I had that much enthusiasm because I didn't learn to like school til college) painted an air of disapproval about it.

Her 1st choice for school was high competitive, 504 students vying for 330 positions of which 75% were legacy (if you have a parent, grandparent or sibling who are alumni you get a go to the front of the line ticket). So this is her fallback. Because she has legacy from me at school *M* I had to get the paperwork in ASAP. My registration fee check fell out of the trifolded papers when I put it in the envelope and dropped it off.

I found my check two hours later and headed back to the school early afternoon. The secretary had the paperwork and read my maiden name very loudly. Her husband who was paritally deaf restated my maiden name very loudly wanted to know if I'm from a prominent family of builders (which I am). My old gym teacher is now the Vice Principal and she heard the name, came and gave me a big hug, and gave me a tour of the new additions and all the wonderful things which changed over 30 years. As we're heading back to the office I see the parents of one of my daughter's classmates who will probably be attending this school too. While we're there talking this man walks out and I recognize he was my Homecoming Date junior year. He recognized me too and said "I think you were my date to Homecoming." I had to laugh and say, "I think I was your date."

I clued my daughter in to the events with lots of laughs, we pulled out my yearbooks and looked at those. She found out that she wasn't the only one who didn't get into School A, and now there are a few more potential people headed to School B. She then said to me, "Well, it might be nice to go to a smaller school. Maybe." (180 versus 330)

I had to tell her that wherever she want to go is fine, but she might want to keep an open mind about it. And low and behold, they offer AP Math and Science classes which offer college credit for the child right behind her, and they offer academic support services in school for students with learning difficulties (I have one with dyslexia and dysgraphia). Maybe this might be the place for all of them?

Interesting what a change in attitude can do. And it is interesting to also see what the cost is now, a 1/4 of a century later.

My oldest daughter took the admisisons test for a highly ranked parochial school in my state (one of the best). There were 504 students vying for 330 spots, of which 75% were legacy (essentially meaning you go to the head of the line if you have a sibling, parent or grandparent alum). Daughter suffers from test anxiety despite being a solid mostly A, few B student. She studied for about a month and knew that it was highly competitive. She did not get in. Oh, the heart-ache of the child. I talked to the Admissions Director first thing yesterday to find out that she was nothing more than a number. The number on the test that scored in the band of "we need to see other evidence of academic success", but due to the limited number of spots availble, she was not wait-listed and granted a "no thank you". I should add that my brother is a graduate success story of this high school and once his name is linked with her name and she is more than a number, she will most likely gain admittance. So much so that the Admissions Director said "Tell your daughter there isn't anything to prevent her from getting a diploma from *****." and we ended it with "We'll talk." But that is at quarter end or semester end of freshman year. Daughter must be content with that.

So, after talking to the Admissions Director at her desired school, I give a call over to the other paochial school, where I am an alumni and she has legacy. They tell me not to worry, get her paperwork over and in, and she's theirs. Daughter isn't keen on this, but her scholarship will have to travel with her and she'll have to be diligent.

The two things required for this (1) a spot at first place desired school (which people do actually leave because of the rigorous academics), and (2) a solid GPA. Add to that patience from the mother to help her daughter navigate this stressful time.

I overheard her saying to her friend on the phone last night, "It will be nice when they look at me as a name, not a number."

I told this to my brother and he laughed and said, "I know how she feels. At this point I am nothing more than a piece of paper applying for one spot along with a gazillion more. It would be nice to be a name."

So the lesson learned from this: it helps to have a back-up plan (in this case a mother who can give you legacy to the place you plan on landing momentarily before you take flight.) and the journey to a high and solid GPA begins.

The first $ in this endeavor was the $30 application fee to runner-up school. And it would be nice if they did away with legacy and let each person be evaluated on their own merits. But then again, I think someone once said it isn't what you know, but who you know.

Another Friday! This year just seems to be zipping right along as we pass the monumental mile markers for my 8th grader!

Today is the Valentine's Day Dance at school. They've spent the last semester learning how to dance. The tango, cha-cha, samba, waltz, and swing. They get to put their newly acquired skills to the test and attend the dance in the school hall (aka lunchroom). My taller-than-average girl hemmed and hawed about which shoes to wear because heels would put certain young men who haven't reached their growth spurt at eye level with her chest. I suggested she take both flats and heels and worry about it later.

I'm pleased to say that I returned to a place of organization last night by 8:30 PM. Gown ironed (also cap and gown pictures today for daughter), all notes written for pick up and going homes, ski registration and picture order filled out, all unifroms laid out for the rest of the kids, etc.

I've closed the door to the complaint department. I realize that my brother and best friend are on hard times. Employment isn't easily come by when you're a divorce attorney and during these economic times, divorce is on the decline. And best friend who has a new job lined up so she can leave the bad job isn't sure she wants to go to the new job (after reading about pay and caseload and etc.) and she wants to file a HEPA violation with her boss. Don't really know much more than that because I don't wanna be bogged down with more than my own stuff. I'm finally feeling better after a night of early bed (and I resorted to a Vicodin to help knock me out), I know not really prudent, but I didn't have any other sleep aids and was desperate for the zz's.

So that is it, in a nutshell. I've spent some money recently, not a lot, but some: $6 for fish tank, $5.50 for mascara, $20 OOP for pricy make-up for daughter, $24 for a curling iron type aparatus (a "you curl"), and $10 for son whose going to the new Star Wars 3-D movie opening today. Add on $68 for a ski trip ($10 refundable), $15 for class pictures of graduates (didn't pay first time around), and $20 for pizza card for lunch for one child.

Hope everyone has a great Friday!

In all honesty, this hasn't been the bestest of weeks at my house. I'm usually pretty happy here and things run smoothly (aside from the usual hiccups) and then ... voila ... a bad day and it is a trainwreck.

I have to laugh that it is only Thursday because Tuesday and Wednesday were really long. Had a sick child on Monday, lost my sleep and concentration, and am fighting a cold. So I'm not at my optimal level. Homework has been really hard, and my challenged child has struggled more than usual. Apparently just past his frustration level. My mother (a retired teacher) did most of the homework with him at the library yesterday, so I was spared. Younger daughter who crossed the bridge to womanhood last month, is once again in the PMS/MS stage - all frought with anxiety and emotions and tizzies. (From my professional days, I'd say she's full-blown borderline with the "I hate you, don't leave me!" mentality. UGH! Oldest child is riding high on the wave of life, she's got fun stuff on the horizon (Valentine's Day Dance, Father-Daughter Dance, Ski Trip, Modeling Audition) and it seem that her ray of sunlight is annoying the less happy here. Not a good dynamic.

So I need to go to Walmart because that is where oldest daughter located the desired item (a Conair you curl). And we need another fish bowl for the goldfish that the boys won at the Fun Fair (they won coupons for the fish and we don't actually have them yet). And I have to find two-sided fashion tape for the strapless dresses for the Father Daughter Dance. And I have to get creative for the mask-making that the girls want to do since there is a Mardi Gras theme to Saturday nite's dance.

MONEY-WISE, since this is a Financial Forumv and not my own private Idaho in the blogosphere, our refund was deposited yesterday. Nice to see a fat balance on the EF account, but sadly it will be goind to prepay our property taxes, but that will be a big one crossed off the TO PAY list.

I might come in 10% over the projected spending of $185 for two-weeks of groceries, but not by much. I've got the menu planned and have most of the items for the meals, with the exception of a few holes of staples.

Well, off to do laundry (the mountain has accumulated after three days off) and start being productive. I should add this morning started off on a very decent note, and I only hope it continued on the ride to school (I'll have to talk to DH soon). Then it is off to my favorite place in the world ... Walmart! And yesterday my checker-outer happened to have a long beard that was braided (had a very tiny rubberband at the end of it).

Or so it feels ... Both of my girls are beauties. The older one in an unconventional way (think runway model) and the younger one is more a pagent girl.

Older daugher turned 14 in November. She's 5'7", 90 pounds, willowy thin and has posture to boot (she's been an Irish dancer since 5). She has been called to an open audition on the 18th. Her pictures are amatuer and not professional comp sheets, but at this point, it's fine.

I broke out the Macy's gift card to buy her some decent make-up (Urban Decay) for $13 OOP. We also bought a Homecoming type dress for $30 at JCP (used gift card for that as well). She has the casual jeans and shirt look and also the skirt/blazer look, but was lacking in the party look.

To see her in make up and heels (putting her at 5'10") I'm feeling a bit bad that I'm actually considering exploiting her to get some money to put away for college. To put the younger one in pagents seems a bit less tawdry.

Well, enough of this. It will be interesting to see what/if anything actually comes of this. And I'm getting my eyebrows waxed tomorrow for the first time. Daughter (who had it done in the summer) assures me that it will be fine. My mother is treating. Who thought that eyebrow waxing would ever be a gift on my horizon.