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Wednesday, June 01, 2005

Baby Manual


I wish I had had this cute little book when I first had a baby. See this post to understand why I needed this and this info.

Five Tips for Helping Kids Understand Money and Work

1) Be a friend and partner to your child -- not a tyrant. Dealing with money and understanding its relationship to hard work doesn't come easy for any of us -- especially kids. A little gentleness and kindness will go a long way. Sure, there will be times of correction, and even discipline, but remember how tough all this stuff was for you to learn.

2) Don't be in a rush to bail the kids out of every financial problem. Help them process the situations they confront, and find solutions. Look for opportunities to teach life lessons.

3) Help your children learn the difference between short- and long-term goals. Usually money for short-term goals like birthday gifts, saving for summer camp, or buying a special shirt or top, is best kept in a simple bank or credit union savings account. These accounts make access relatively (but, not too) easy, and usually pay a little interest. Long-term goals like college savings or buying a car might be invested differently. If your timeline is at least five to seven years out, you might want to consider putting the money into a mutual fund. Remember, the real purpose in all of this is to help teach your children about how money and markets work.

4) Consider giving older kids larger allowances and supplying fewer of their needs. Teach them to budget their allowance for clothes and other items that you bought for them when they were younger.

5) Always remember that God is the Source of all wealth. Use money as an opportunity to teach about God's love and provision -- and, the responsibility that it places on us to use it, and share it, to His glory.

From Steve Diggs.

Choose Home Housewarming Party

Don't forget to visit Choosing Home's Housewarming Party where you can read many essays on the topic of choosing home.

UK Foods


Looking for special UK products you can't find here in the US? Try UK Goods. Just browsing their online store is fun and amusing.

Live Like You Were Dying

I don't listen to Country music but I really like the lyrics Anne at Keelthepot posted of Tim McGraw's "Live Like You Were Dying":

He said I was in my early forties
with a lot of life before me
when a moment came that stopped me on a dime
and I spent most of the next days
looking at the x-rays
Talking bout the options
and talking bout sweet time
I asked him when it sank in
that this might really be the real end
how's it hit you when you get that kinda news
man what'd you do

and he said
I went sky diving
I went Rocky Mountain climbing
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named fumanchu
and I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter
and I gave forgiveness I'd been denying
and he said someday I hope you get the chance
to live like you were dying.

He said I was finally the husband
that most the time I wasn't
and I became a friend a friend would like to have
and all the sudden going fishin
wasn't such an imposition
and I went three times that year I lost my dad
well I finally read the good book
and I took a good long hard look
at what I'd do if I could do it all again

and then
I went sky diving
I went Rocky Mountain climbing
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named fumanchu
and I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter
and I gave forgiveness I'd been denying
and he said someday I hope you get the chance
to live like you were dying.

Like tomorrow was a gift and you got eternity to think about
what'd you do with it
what did you do with it
what did I do with it what would I do with it?

Why the Life of the Mother is Not a Valid Exception for Abortion

Susie, a mother of five children, finds herself and her three-year-old year son Johnny adrift at sea in a tiny one-person raft. They are hundreds of miles away from the nearest boat or landmark. The prospects look grim for both mother and child. On board is a container of water and food. One problem is that there is no realistic means for acquiring additional food at sea and even less for collecting rainwater. If the food and water on board are carefully rationed, Susie will have enough provisions on board for one person to barely survive two weeks at sea, which is the time she has estimated it will take for the little raft to follow the currents to a latitude and longitude frequented by shipping vessels, one of which, she is sure, will rescue her. This is her one hope for survival, but she must last two weeks at sea. Although she might hope that a rescue ship will arrive before that time, the appearance of such would be nothing short of a miracle.

Click here to read the rest of this thought-provoking article.

Thanks to Ruthanne of Jellybeans & Chocolate for the link.

Top Ten Most Harmful Books

Take a peek here to see the top ten most harmful books of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Thanks to Izzy for posting the link.

Super Fling Boogie



FlyLady says:

Welcome to our Super Fling Boogie!! This is where FlyLady is encouraging you to toss, donate, recycle, and remove as much clutter from your homes as you can in two weeks. Anything to get rid of the "stuff" in your home that you don't use or that doesn't make you smile or bring you joy! Weigh your clutter as you move it out of your home. When you have weighed it, post your weights here!!

Online Reading


Read again, for the third time at least, Miss Austen's finely written novel of "Pride And Prejudice." That young Lady had a talent for describing the involvements and feelings and characters of ordinary life, which is to me the most wonderful I ever met with. The big Bow-Wow strain I can do myself like any now going; but the exquisite touch which renders ordinary common-place things and characters interesting from the truth of the description and the sentiment is denied to me. What a pity such a gifted creature died so early!

~ Sir Walter Scott's diary, 14 March 1826


You can read all of Jane's novels here.

Pride & Prejudice Text Online



You can read Pride and Prejudice online here.

Scrap Fabric Uses


Looking for uses for your pile of scrap fabric? Here are three projects to help you.

The Newest Lizzie and Darcy


The trailer is now available for the new Pride & Prejudice movie coming September 23rd. After watching it, I'm just not sure how I feel about it. It's so different from my beloved A&E DVD but it is Jane so I'm sure I'll muddle through somehow.

Thoughts on the Trailer:
  • Could the Bennets not afford a brush for poor Lizzie?
  • I thought the newest Mr. Collins looked kinda cute.
  • Lady Catherine De Bourgh scares me.
  • Why, why, why are Lizzie and Darcy about to kiss when she rejects his proposal?!
  • "From the Producers of Bridget Jones' Diary and Love Actually" doesn't really make me want to like this movie.
  • That is NOT my Mr. Darcy!
  • Lizzie, dear, you need a sandwich.