Wishful Thinking

I'm sitting at my desk (at home) working and listening to the "Fred Thompson Show" on my local talk radio station. WHY isn't HE the president?!

March Madness

I love it! College basketball at its finest. My team isn't in it this year. I have to face it, they just stunk. As a matter of fact, I'm disappointed in the entire SEC. 3 teams?! Crazy.

I filled out a bracket anyway. And am watching some of it. I love college basketball, but I really don't feel compelled to watch it with my team out & very few teams from my favorite conference in.

It has certainly been exciting. I did not pick WKU to win. I thought about it, but figured that was just picking with my heart. I'm glad I lost that one, though.

Now, I did pick Oklahoma State to beat UT. I just cannot pick the Vols. I wouldn't pick them if they were a #1 seed. I think one year, they were #2 and I picked the #15 seed! I'm happy to have won that one.

I'll be at home working around the house most of tomorrow, so I'm sure it will be on in the background. That is, if I'm not in the room where my kids are playing the Wii. (Their usual Saturday morning activity.)

And it can be exciting if you don't have a dog in the hunt, so to speak. I have no emotional attachment to anyone playing, so it's just about good basketball for me.

Enjoy your weekend!

On the Mend

I think everyone is better now. At least we're getting that way.

***knocking on wood***

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Friday the 13th

I'm not superstitious. Turns out, tomorrow will be a good day for us. The refinance is done! We sign the papers tomorrow. Because of the economic environment, credit "freeze" and banks being desperate to loan money to people who will actually pay it back, the interest rates are ridiculous.

We went from 6.5% to 4.75%. We've been in our house 6 1/2 years, so instead of adding 6 1/2 years back on and going with another 30 year loan, we went to a 15. Shaving 8 1/2 years off of it. So, no, our house payment is not going down. But guess what...

It isn't going up either. Well, maybe a little. About $50/month. SO WHAT. We are both still employed and have an emergency fund based on our current payment. And, in our case, $50 a month will save us thousands over the course of the loan.

Oh, yeah, and as an added bonus our house has increased in value enough that coupled with what we've paid down that we actually have 28% equity. Meaning that our stupid PMI is gone.

And, I'm taking tomorrow off, my husband is taking 1/2 off and our oldest is out of school. So we'll all have a mental health day...yeah, tomorrow is going to be a good day.

Guess I may be superstitious after all...Lucky 13!

I Am Confused

How is it not a contradiction to claim this is a "new era of fiscal responsibity" and that you will "not approve of earmarks" WHILE YOU ARE SIGNING A BILL WITH OVER 9000 OF THEM?!

It's My Turn

I don't have strep. But I have a bad sinus infection, for which I am now taking something.

My biggest problem? My voice. It's gone - completely. That's a problem if you're the only parent in the house while everyone is getting ready to leave in the mornings.

UGH.

Strep Throat

It's strep throat. For both of them. And Garrett probably has an ear infection. I say probably because he didn't yesterday at the doctor - at least she didn't say anything after she checked his ears. And today, he's crying and laying on a heating pad. I'm not going to stress over that, because he's on anti-biotics for the strep, so that will take care of both. I am a little concerned about the weird gray film on his tongue. I suspect that may be a yeast infection. Guess I'll be calling the doctor in the morning to find out about that.

Colby is fine. Aside from the whining every time he sees the "ucky pink stuff" in the little cup. Ah, well. They'll live through it. Wonder if I will?

Hopefully the weather will still be nice when they're able to enjoy it.

Enough is Enough

Garrett has the flu. Well, that's not exactly accurate. He had the flu. Last week. He's been back at school this week. Even though he's been a little tired, that was all. And we just figured it was because he hadn't fully recovered. Until this morning...

He woke up with 103 temperature. It's not technically the flu, but just a bad virus. Today and tomorrow will be the 5th & 6th days of school he's missed this semester - and it's not even half over! He NEVER misses this much school. And he's miserable all around. It just breaks my heart.

And Colby. He woke up this morning with just a slight fever. But enough to send me to the doctor with him because of what's going on with his brother. And because he was throwing up. His problem...strep throat. At least he's not completely miserable. Just a sore throat & mild tummy ache.

Me, I have razor blades in my throat. Their doctor even looked at mine. But said it wasn't as red as theirs were, so I'm going to wait and see how it goes. My husband is extremely susceptible to strep. So who knows if he's next.

I'm thinking of burning the house down to get rid of all the germs. Just kidding. But I am going to change all the sheets & replace the toothbrushes. And if I'm up to it Saturday I'm going to disinfect the entire house! It's supposed to be in the 70s here, so I'll open the windows to chase the bugs out into the neighborhood.

It could be worse. It's just hard to watch my kids suffer and know there isn't much I can do about it. Enough is enough already - go away flu!

I'm Tired...

Of being called selfish.

I happen to think that if I earn money, I get to decide how it is spent. I give to charitable organizations with which I have common goals and interests. For instance, my husband & I donate to our local congreagation. Obviously, an institution we believe in and that has the same beliefs we do. We donate to the Boy Scouts. An organization that I have said is the best organization with which I have ever been involved (oustide the church). And we don't just donate money, though we do that. We donate time, lots of it. We have a few other charities on our annual list, but you get the idea.

We cannot donate to everyone that asks. Honestly, if I have to break up the "give" portion of my budget so that everyone who asks gets money, how much can I donate to each one? And there are some organizations with which I do not agree on any level - Planned Parenthood, for instance.

So why does the government think that it needs to take more of my money to give to these organizations? Why should anyone be forced to give their hard-earned money to groups they do not support? Why are we selfish because we don't want to give money to everyone that asks? Why are we selfish because only a portion (no matter how large) of our income is donated? Why is it selfish to want to save for our family's future?

I have actually been told that having an emergency fund is selfish. That we should spend that money instead of saving it because "the economy needs spenders". I came really close to losing it! Now, let me say here, there are people who have changed the way they live. They have started to hoarde money instead of continuing to live. Personally, I believe if your income changes, this is legitimate. Ours hasn't, so our habits haven't changed either.

I have heard this from "experts" on the news channels, read it on blogs, from politicians, from acquaintances, from friends. And I'm tired of it. I don't have to prove anything to these people, or I shouldn't have to. But I am starting to worry about the attitude that produces those statements. I'm worried our nation is turning into a nation of "takers" instead of "givers".

I continue to pray that is not happening, or that the trend will be reversed. I teach my children how it should be and what their attitude should be. And I continue to give, even though I'm afraid our disposable income will be going down due to higher taxes & higer costs because of those taxes. Because that is the right thing to do. Because one day, hopefully soon, the rest of the country will realize what is happening. Because I hope that one day, those "takers" will have a change of attitude. I will not quit.