I've always considered myself pretty good when it comes to a crisis. Put me in front of a car accident, or anywhere that someone is hurt and needs help and I'll know what to do. I know that I'm not afraid of blood, and because I'm one of those 'get it done' types I will jump in and take the lead if need be and do what needs to be done to straighten things out. I'm proud of times when I've been able to help someone in a scary circumstance, or even a not so scary one, because I'm good at organizing things and people, and I'm not afraid to get dirty or bloody.
I'm capable of sympathizing and empathizing and giving people all the mushy stuff they need when they need it. But if I don't think they need it? Well then I'm one of those "suck it up" and move on types. If you're not bleeding out your eyeballs or throwing up small internal organs, you can probably manage to go to school, work, etc. My mom was a hard ass when it came to that kind of thing, and I've apparently inherited that trait from her.
But then I caught a really bad cold this week ... and apparently all my organizing and 'get it done'-ness, and 'suck it up'-ness FLEW out the window and all I want is my mom. Even though she probably wouldn't have believed me anyways. My house is a mess, I'm behind on laundry, and there is barely enough food in the cupboards to get thru the next 3 days.
But let me be REALLY clear here ... this is a REALLY bad cold. Like EPIC. Like I've gone through 3 boxes of kleenex in 3 days kind of cold. If I was a commercial I'd be asking Pam to call my mom kind of cold. Sneezes that involve all 4 limbs and scaring the crap out of the baby kind of cold. And if I came across that chick in the Advil Cold commercial who pops a pill and goes for a run in the rain, I'd probably punch her in the throat...if I had the strength. I look, and feel, like a sack of shit. Just take a moment and really think about that ... that's pretty bad isn't it? Sacks of shit are nasty.
I pushed out a 10+lb baby in 5 minutes, I've broken 2 feet and an arm and got right back on the horse/mechanical bull/party wagon, and I've had major surgery that involved removing over 4 pounds of ME before, and I was totally fine with it .... but I am SUCH a wimp when I'm sick. I want hugs, and sympathy, and Lipton chicken noodle soup. I want someone to bake me cookies, and make me tea and cinnamon toast like my grandma used to do when I was a kid. Doesn't the world know how rotten I feel? WHY ISN'T ANYONE RUBBING MY FEET?!
However, all this time I've been battling my EPIC cold, my two young sons have also been sick. Middle Child (he's 3) brought the lovely germs home and he's battling a cough that makes me cringe and wonder if TB is making a comeback in 2013. Last Child (he's 3 months) sounds not unlike a very tiny baby seal coughing and barking and squealing and blowing snot bubbles at me. So I've channelled all the 'suck it up' I can and tried to pretend I'm sick so I can snuggle and console and bounce and rock and wipe noses and suck snot out with the little rubber bulb thingy. (Which is super gross but kind of fun too)
Funny thing is, I actually feel better when I'm keeping busy taking care of them. I haven't had too much time to feel sorry for myself. Enough to keep the self-pity fires burning low, but I'm managing. I know there are people out there who are fighting real problems, big ones, and doing alright. They couldn't possibly feel as awful as my EPIC cold, but I'm sure to them they feel like really big deals.
And I may not have my momma here to make me soup, or Grandma to make me tea and toast, but I've got my big hurly burly husband who comes home every day after work, gives me big hugs, takes the baby and feeds and cuddles him, plays with the middle child, and washes the dishes ... and that's a pretty close second. Now if I could only get him to rub my feet ....
Have a happy day. :) *sniff*sniff*cough*ACHOO!*
Thursday, 31 January 2013
Tuesday, 8 January 2013
Resolutions for a New Year
This is a bit late ... but whatever.
I LOVE the new year. I love having a brand new frame of time to try out new things or start a change.
This year, my resolutions are different though. Sort of. I still swear this is the year I will not be embarrassed to wear a bikini, blah blah blah. I have some newer ones though.
Have a wonderful year, resolutions or no, it doesn't matter 'cause you're awesome and you deserve it.
Tara :)
I LOVE the new year. I love having a brand new frame of time to try out new things or start a change.
This year, my resolutions are different though. Sort of. I still swear this is the year I will not be embarrassed to wear a bikini, blah blah blah. I have some newer ones though.
- This year I will focus on the people that bring happiness and only good things to my life. No more breaking my back trying to grow friendships that are obviously one-sided. No more stressing about approval from people whose approval I do not need. I will nurture those relationships with the people who are always there for me, who reciprocate my friendship and caring, and who have like minded goals. Nuts to the rest. Well not nuts, but no more of my energy either. There's only so much of me to go around, so I think it's only smart to spread it out to the good peeps.
- I will be confident in myself and stop second guessing my abilities and my value. As a mother, as an employee, as a friend, and as an athlete. I'm good at all of those things, and I am NOT going to let petty people undermine my trust in myself any more.
- Listen to my husband. Not in a biblical submission kind of way (sorry Jay) but in the sense that more often than not, listening to him would have saved me from having to make resolutions like #1,and #2. He's much smarter than he gives himself credit for.
- I will beat my 2011 sprint triathlon time. By at least 15 minutes. Raar. I'm a fkn triathlete bitches ... EVEN if I only ever do Sprint distances. So there.
- I will shop and eat in a kinder way. I won't label myself a vegan or vegetarian, but there are parts of those lifestyles that I very much admire and want to emulate for myself. The commercial food industry and the way it treats animals is disgusting. I will do everything I can to not contribute to it. This leads me to #6...
- I will grow my own food ... as much as I can. Enter container gardens and backyard chickens. That's right, I'm growing my own fkn chickens baby! Can't WAIT. Bok Bok Bok.
Have a wonderful year, resolutions or no, it doesn't matter 'cause you're awesome and you deserve it.
Tara :)
Cloth Diapering and Projects I Will Probably Not Finish
So I decided to cloth diaper (or CD for the cloth diapering peeps out there) third boy. Got a slammin' deal on a dozen or so diapers to get me started and figured I'd be all good until he was potty trained.
Then I joined a CD swap group. That shit is bananas. I can't believe how many things people buy and how big their "stashes" are! I remember hearing "oh it's addictive!" from other friends that CD their kids, and I would think "what ... shit holders are addictive?!". They were right ... it is.
I love the fact that I'm cloth diapering for a few reasons:
1. The money I'll save (if I don't go bananas). My first dozen cost me $100 - disposables cost me an average of $40-$50/m for 3+ years if you count Pull Ups for potty training. That's $1,400-$1,800 JUST TO HOLD POOP. No thank you.
2. The environmental impact. I part time CD'd my oldest 13 years ago, but was still bothered by how many disposables we went through and put in the landfill. Yes I'm doing more laundry, but I can't see more water & soap being NEAR as harmful as piles of disposables.
3. I love laundry. I know, it's weird. However, I find the washing, drying, sorting, stuffing etc. to be extremely cathartic. Who couldn't use a bit more catharticism in their day? Wait ... isn't that Catholic school? Whatever, you get my gist.
4. They are so cute. There is something about third boy's rump in a fuzzy cloth diaper, or woolly cover that is just so so cute.
Right now I'm using one size pocket diapers mainly. They adjust to fit babies from 10-35 lbs. They have lots of snaps, waterproof exteriors, and you put inserts of a material of your choosing inside to soak up the pee. They are very user friendly and an easy way to break into the CD world.
I just discovered wool though ... even after being warned of it's addictive qualities. A properly lanolized woollen cover (or 'soaker') over a cloth diaper WILL NOT LEAK. So crazy. My little guy can sleep ALL night after a big drink, and will wake up in dry jammies. I love it. BUT ... wool is very expensive.
Enter the next project my busy-ass brain has come up with that I will likely not finish but I'm going to try anyways: Up cycled Wool Diaper Soaker(s). Me and 2nd & 3rd boys are going to bundle up and head up the street to the 2 nearby thrift stores to find me some old wool sweaters so I can make my own cover. Going to maybe try this pattern from Born to Love and possibly play around with my own. There are tons of pictures on line to copy or get my inspiration from.
After that I thought I'd paint the kitchen and research veganism some more. 'cause that's just what busy brains do.
Happy Tuesday.
T
PS: May I just cover my ass here and add that while I love cloth diapering, I do no judge those who do not. The CD community can sometimes appear to be a snobbish lot, turning up noses at people who do not exclusively CD their kids .... yes really. I however, have done both and both have their pros and cons. So do what you want and don't hate on me for lovin' what I'm doin'. Cool? Cool.
Then I joined a CD swap group. That shit is bananas. I can't believe how many things people buy and how big their "stashes" are! I remember hearing "oh it's addictive!" from other friends that CD their kids, and I would think "what ... shit holders are addictive?!". They were right ... it is.
I love the fact that I'm cloth diapering for a few reasons:
1. The money I'll save (if I don't go bananas). My first dozen cost me $100 - disposables cost me an average of $40-$50/m for 3+ years if you count Pull Ups for potty training. That's $1,400-$1,800 JUST TO HOLD POOP. No thank you.
2. The environmental impact. I part time CD'd my oldest 13 years ago, but was still bothered by how many disposables we went through and put in the landfill. Yes I'm doing more laundry, but I can't see more water & soap being NEAR as harmful as piles of disposables.
3. I love laundry. I know, it's weird. However, I find the washing, drying, sorting, stuffing etc. to be extremely cathartic. Who couldn't use a bit more catharticism in their day? Wait ... isn't that Catholic school? Whatever, you get my gist.
4. They are so cute. There is something about third boy's rump in a fuzzy cloth diaper, or woolly cover that is just so so cute.
Right now I'm using one size pocket diapers mainly. They adjust to fit babies from 10-35 lbs. They have lots of snaps, waterproof exteriors, and you put inserts of a material of your choosing inside to soak up the pee. They are very user friendly and an easy way to break into the CD world.
I just discovered wool though ... even after being warned of it's addictive qualities. A properly lanolized woollen cover (or 'soaker') over a cloth diaper WILL NOT LEAK. So crazy. My little guy can sleep ALL night after a big drink, and will wake up in dry jammies. I love it. BUT ... wool is very expensive.
Enter the next project my busy-ass brain has come up with that I will likely not finish but I'm going to try anyways: Up cycled Wool Diaper Soaker(s). Me and 2nd & 3rd boys are going to bundle up and head up the street to the 2 nearby thrift stores to find me some old wool sweaters so I can make my own cover. Going to maybe try this pattern from Born to Love and possibly play around with my own. There are tons of pictures on line to copy or get my inspiration from.
After that I thought I'd paint the kitchen and research veganism some more. 'cause that's just what busy brains do.
Happy Tuesday.
T
PS: May I just cover my ass here and add that while I love cloth diapering, I do no judge those who do not. The CD community can sometimes appear to be a snobbish lot, turning up noses at people who do not exclusively CD their kids .... yes really. I however, have done both and both have their pros and cons. So do what you want and don't hate on me for lovin' what I'm doin'. Cool? Cool.
Sunday, 9 December 2012
Confessions and Restarts
I have a confession to make. I haven't been very clever lately ... and I feel like a fraud.
Once upon a time I was a nightmare with money. Then I got smarter, and was much much better. I even went so far as to help some friends, and start a blog. Then I got pregnant, got sick, got lazy, quit doing what I knew I needed to do to stay on track, and made a mess again. Not a big giant mess, but messy enough to put me back in that stressed-out money place I said I'd never go to ever ever again.
So here I am, feeling all sheepish and like a fraud since I used to get asked for money help ... and I did manage to help a few people. Unfortunately, it turns out I'm not perfect and I fell off my budget wagon.
BUT ... instead of being all down about it, I'm going to have a restart. The timing couldn't be more perfect either. The new year is only a few short weeks away, and while I'm not going to wait until the new year to start I am excited to start the new year off on the right foot. I'm going back to basics and shedding the heavy, stressed out, and overwhelmed feelings that can take over at this time of year with all the pressure to BUY BUY BUY!
Here's how I'm going to do it:
What are some of your resolutions? Do you make them? Do you hate them? The Big Mulligan is only 3 weeks away and I'd love to hear what's on your list!
Once upon a time I was a nightmare with money. Then I got smarter, and was much much better. I even went so far as to help some friends, and start a blog. Then I got pregnant, got sick, got lazy, quit doing what I knew I needed to do to stay on track, and made a mess again. Not a big giant mess, but messy enough to put me back in that stressed-out money place I said I'd never go to ever ever again.
So here I am, feeling all sheepish and like a fraud since I used to get asked for money help ... and I did manage to help a few people. Unfortunately, it turns out I'm not perfect and I fell off my budget wagon.
BUT ... instead of being all down about it, I'm going to have a restart. The timing couldn't be more perfect either. The new year is only a few short weeks away, and while I'm not going to wait until the new year to start I am excited to start the new year off on the right foot. I'm going back to basics and shedding the heavy, stressed out, and overwhelmed feelings that can take over at this time of year with all the pressure to BUY BUY BUY!
Here's how I'm going to do it:
- Reviewing my budget: I've looked and the cash coming in, and what needs to go out/go here/go there and I've made sure it is balanced. I'm allocating what I need to pay off debt (ugh), save a little, and keep all the lights on and bellies full. Being as I'm on maternity leave, there isn't much left over at the end, but everything is taken care of ... IF I can stick to the budget ... and I know I can.
- Cash is King: I always do better at sticking to my budget when I use cash for the day-to-day things like groceries, personal care stuff, entertainment, etc. I will withdraw what amount I need for the week each payday, and when it's gone it's gone!
- Meal Planning: This one is HUGE. We budget $800/month for groceries for our family of 5, but that can easily spiral to $1,000+ if I don't plan our meals and shop accordingly each week. Sometimes it's the last thing I want to do, but I always feel better when it's done. There are lots of ways to do it, I've found that planning around what's on sale in the flyers saves even more.
- Coupons: This one is such a no-brainer. Companies send me money off of their products in my newspaper or my inbox ... why would I NOT use them?! $5 off dog food? Yes please. $0.50 off of the soup I always buy? FINE.
- Relax. I'm bad for getting myself all worked up when the sky really isn't falling. So I'm going to trust that I can do this, with the involvement and support of my husband, and that the debt will be paid off and we will be taken care of in the meantime. Life is too short to spend it all worked up and feeling bad.
What are some of your resolutions? Do you make them? Do you hate them? The Big Mulligan is only 3 weeks away and I'd love to hear what's on your list!
Tuesday, 10 April 2012
Being Grateful and Making it Work
I'm one of those people who is always trying to find ways to make things better. I like to streamline processes, organize things, make lists, and improve on things. Some people see this way of being as my being unsatisfied with what I have, as if it wasn't good enough. And if I'm being totally honest, sometimes that is what it is.
Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the thinking that what you have ISN'T good enough and that you have to have more, bigger, better, newer. It happens to me every once in a while and it's exhausting and stressful and I hate it.
My husband and I live in a smaller 3 bedroom house, with my 12 year old son from my first marriage and our 2 1/2 year old boy. #3 is on it's way and we started thinking that we really were facing the time when we should sell and upgrade. Our house isn't laid our very well and it's quite cramped at times, but it has an amazingly big back yard and awesomely huge patio. It seems like we start to get major cabin fever every year as winter nears it's end and we can hardly stand the crampiness of our house. This year we made up our mind to do a few reno's and list.
I really want is a laundry room and a rumpus room for the kids. Not much to ask right? So we start painting, fixing, patching and rushing to get our house ready to put on the market before the big spring rush of listings.
Then it gets nice out. I started having second thoughts about leaving. My yard is so awesome and things are starting to grow! Then my husband speaks up and says he doesn't want to sell either. We start to really do the math and weigh it out.
We only pay about $1,100/m on our place, including property taxes and city services. We have a very nice manageable mortgage on the house, one that we could realistically pay off in 15 years. To buy, we'd be looking at spending a minimum of $150,000 more to get what we 'need'. That pretty much doubles our monthly housing costs, and the time until we're mortgage free. Ouch.
We both talked about how our families were raised in small houses, with kids sharing bedrooms, and how our parents turned out ok. We talk about how we have such a great yard and how we've managed with this place for almost 10 years.
We decided that what we have is enough and that we were grateful for that and how we can manage it fine and fix it up as we can afford in the years to come. We talk about how, if we REALLY wanted to, for less than $100,000 we could add a kitchen, 4th bedroom, rec room, AND laundry room. And keep our kick ass yard.
Feels good to feel grateful, and it feels even better to have that big weight lifted off our shoulders of how we were going to fit a huge mortgage payment into our budget and all the stress that goes along with selling & buying.
Sometimes smaller and simpler is better, even if you have to move over to let the other person pass in the hallway.
Have a great day,
Tara
Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the thinking that what you have ISN'T good enough and that you have to have more, bigger, better, newer. It happens to me every once in a while and it's exhausting and stressful and I hate it.
My husband and I live in a smaller 3 bedroom house, with my 12 year old son from my first marriage and our 2 1/2 year old boy. #3 is on it's way and we started thinking that we really were facing the time when we should sell and upgrade. Our house isn't laid our very well and it's quite cramped at times, but it has an amazingly big back yard and awesomely huge patio. It seems like we start to get major cabin fever every year as winter nears it's end and we can hardly stand the crampiness of our house. This year we made up our mind to do a few reno's and list.
I really want is a laundry room and a rumpus room for the kids. Not much to ask right? So we start painting, fixing, patching and rushing to get our house ready to put on the market before the big spring rush of listings.
Then it gets nice out. I started having second thoughts about leaving. My yard is so awesome and things are starting to grow! Then my husband speaks up and says he doesn't want to sell either. We start to really do the math and weigh it out.
We only pay about $1,100/m on our place, including property taxes and city services. We have a very nice manageable mortgage on the house, one that we could realistically pay off in 15 years. To buy, we'd be looking at spending a minimum of $150,000 more to get what we 'need'. That pretty much doubles our monthly housing costs, and the time until we're mortgage free. Ouch.
We both talked about how our families were raised in small houses, with kids sharing bedrooms, and how our parents turned out ok. We talk about how we have such a great yard and how we've managed with this place for almost 10 years.
We decided that what we have is enough and that we were grateful for that and how we can manage it fine and fix it up as we can afford in the years to come. We talk about how, if we REALLY wanted to, for less than $100,000 we could add a kitchen, 4th bedroom, rec room, AND laundry room. And keep our kick ass yard.
Feels good to feel grateful, and it feels even better to have that big weight lifted off our shoulders of how we were going to fit a huge mortgage payment into our budget and all the stress that goes along with selling & buying.
Sometimes smaller and simpler is better, even if you have to move over to let the other person pass in the hallway.
Have a great day,
Tara
Tuesday, 28 February 2012
Judgement
Yes I'm still here ... if anyone out there noticed I was gone. Been a bit busy dealing with reno's, kids with the scoots, and feeling like barfing myself 24/7.
I heard a saying the other day that has totally gotten stuck in my brain.
"We judge others by their actions, but we judge ourselves by our intentions."
Whoa, right? Do you not TOTALLY do this? How many times have you said, during/after a fight "Well I didn't mean to hurt you." But you did hurt them. With your actions. Or switch it around - somebody hurt you, and you probably assume it was all part of some diabolical, totally pre-meditated plan to wound you. Not that maybe they didn't mean to, or intend to.
So naturally I tried to think of how this could relate to money, and being smarter with it. We might have the best of intentions with our money, but either life, ignorance, lack of self discipline, etc. interfere and we don't stick to our intended course. Then we go to apply for a mortgage, loan, credit card and can't get it because our 'actions' affected our credit rating negatively, so we're judged by those actions and our dream of owning a new house/car/etc. have to get put on hold for a bit longer.
I guess you can apply this to any situation in life, and it makes you (or me) stop and think about everything lately. I'm not so quick to get mad at people that do something that offends me, because in all likelihood it wasn't their intention.
And I find myself slowing down and thinking twice about how my actions might be perceived by others, despite what I think they're meant to look like or what my intentions are. I try to "start as I mean to go on" (another quote I love) and act in a way that would bring good judgement towards me. (did that even make sense?)
Anyways, I'm going to try and judge others less by their actions and try to show a little more compassion and try to imagine what their intentions are. And if I'm not sure, maybe I'll just ask.
Happy Tuesday.
I heard a saying the other day that has totally gotten stuck in my brain.
"We judge others by their actions, but we judge ourselves by our intentions."
Whoa, right? Do you not TOTALLY do this? How many times have you said, during/after a fight "Well I didn't mean to hurt you." But you did hurt them. With your actions. Or switch it around - somebody hurt you, and you probably assume it was all part of some diabolical, totally pre-meditated plan to wound you. Not that maybe they didn't mean to, or intend to.
So naturally I tried to think of how this could relate to money, and being smarter with it. We might have the best of intentions with our money, but either life, ignorance, lack of self discipline, etc. interfere and we don't stick to our intended course. Then we go to apply for a mortgage, loan, credit card and can't get it because our 'actions' affected our credit rating negatively, so we're judged by those actions and our dream of owning a new house/car/etc. have to get put on hold for a bit longer.
I guess you can apply this to any situation in life, and it makes you (or me) stop and think about everything lately. I'm not so quick to get mad at people that do something that offends me, because in all likelihood it wasn't their intention.
And I find myself slowing down and thinking twice about how my actions might be perceived by others, despite what I think they're meant to look like or what my intentions are. I try to "start as I mean to go on" (another quote I love) and act in a way that would bring good judgement towards me. (did that even make sense?)
Anyways, I'm going to try and judge others less by their actions and try to show a little more compassion and try to imagine what their intentions are. And if I'm not sure, maybe I'll just ask.
Happy Tuesday.
Monday, 20 February 2012
Kids, Money, & Toads
I think the thing that will cause me more stress and worry than just about anything, is whether or not I'm raising good kids. Or rather, whether I'm raising good adults. I'm sure most parents out there can relate to that worry.
I constantly question if I'm doing the right thing by my boys. Am I tough enough on them? Am I too tough on them? Am I doing enough for them? Am I doing TOO much for them?
So many questions.
Fortunately, I'm blessed to have really good boys. I mean we still have our challenging days, but when I compare my home to some of the problems that I know other parents are facing I know we're doing alright.
I want to raise boys that respect themselves, respect others, respect women, and who are capable, functioning adults who don't need a girlfriend to take care of them. My oldest cleans, is learning to cook, can do his own laundry, and has regular chores to contribute to the house. So far so good. When he whines about it, I just tell him that chicks dig guys who cook & clean. That seems to be enough for now.
I also want to raise my boys to be financially responsible. I was taught little to nothing about how to manage my money as a kid. I had a piggy bank and savings account, but I was never taught actual lessons about it. Money was something my step-dad refused to discuss with, or around me. He felt it was none of my business to know how our household ran, how much things cost, or why it was important to save. He just though grounding me for asking my mom to buy me new shoes was a lesson in itself. He was (and still is) a real asshole.
That's why I prefer to think back and draw on the first 11 years of my life (before Mom married the Toad) when it was just the 2 of us, for my financial example. She worked 2, sometimes 3 jobs, to support us. We never lived in fancy places, but she did things on her own to make places homey. She baked her own bread, sewed my clothes, and learned how to do most things herself so she didn't have to pay anyone unless absolutely necessary. The woman was MacGuyver. She could change a tire, the oil in the car, fix a leaky roof, wire a lightswitch, and bake a kick ass German Chocolate Cake ... in an afternoon. Seriously, I kid you not.
But back to my kids, I found a really great article from Psychology Today that talks about raising kids that are fiscally responsible, instead of spoiled assholes. You can read it for yourself here and tell me what you think.
What kinds of things are you doing to teach your kids about financial responsibility? I'm enjoying learning right along with my boy. He gets an allowance, and has to save some, etc. etc. I picked up some great tips from Gail Vaz-Oxlade's blog about Money Smart Kids. We're tweaking things as we go, finding what works. He's definitely learning that money does not grow on trees. "But mom ... wouldn't that be so so cool if it did?!"
Yes dear ... I'm still hoping I find a money tree one day. But for now I'll continue to budget a teeny bit for lottery tickets. *wink wink*
Have a great Monday!
I constantly question if I'm doing the right thing by my boys. Am I tough enough on them? Am I too tough on them? Am I doing enough for them? Am I doing TOO much for them?
So many questions.
Fortunately, I'm blessed to have really good boys. I mean we still have our challenging days, but when I compare my home to some of the problems that I know other parents are facing I know we're doing alright.
I want to raise boys that respect themselves, respect others, respect women, and who are capable, functioning adults who don't need a girlfriend to take care of them. My oldest cleans, is learning to cook, can do his own laundry, and has regular chores to contribute to the house. So far so good. When he whines about it, I just tell him that chicks dig guys who cook & clean. That seems to be enough for now.
I also want to raise my boys to be financially responsible. I was taught little to nothing about how to manage my money as a kid. I had a piggy bank and savings account, but I was never taught actual lessons about it. Money was something my step-dad refused to discuss with, or around me. He felt it was none of my business to know how our household ran, how much things cost, or why it was important to save. He just though grounding me for asking my mom to buy me new shoes was a lesson in itself. He was (and still is) a real asshole.
That's why I prefer to think back and draw on the first 11 years of my life (before Mom married the Toad) when it was just the 2 of us, for my financial example. She worked 2, sometimes 3 jobs, to support us. We never lived in fancy places, but she did things on her own to make places homey. She baked her own bread, sewed my clothes, and learned how to do most things herself so she didn't have to pay anyone unless absolutely necessary. The woman was MacGuyver. She could change a tire, the oil in the car, fix a leaky roof, wire a lightswitch, and bake a kick ass German Chocolate Cake ... in an afternoon. Seriously, I kid you not.
But back to my kids, I found a really great article from Psychology Today that talks about raising kids that are fiscally responsible, instead of spoiled assholes. You can read it for yourself here and tell me what you think.
What kinds of things are you doing to teach your kids about financial responsibility? I'm enjoying learning right along with my boy. He gets an allowance, and has to save some, etc. etc. I picked up some great tips from Gail Vaz-Oxlade's blog about Money Smart Kids. We're tweaking things as we go, finding what works. He's definitely learning that money does not grow on trees. "But mom ... wouldn't that be so so cool if it did?!"
Yes dear ... I'm still hoping I find a money tree one day. But for now I'll continue to budget a teeny bit for lottery tickets. *wink wink*
Have a great Monday!
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