with a twist

Listening to a talk on Sunday gave me an idea.  Time to be thankful for the things I'm usually not thankful for.

So here it goes:

I, too, am thankful for the mes of toys in my family room, showing me that more toys for Christmas is not necessary.
I'm thankful for 7 other people that can't seem to keep their house clean because they call and pay me to do it for them.
I'm thankful for my kids constant teasing and mocking each other because then I know they're all still alive and not choking on anything.
I'm thankful for my high gas bill because I know that my heater is working.
I'm thankful for my hubby waking me up at insane hours in the morning because then I know he is safe at home.
I'm thankful for an incomplete bathroom (still) because then I only have to clean one.
I'm thankful for Webkinz. The time spent on the computer playing with them is motivation for my kids to do their chores.
I'm thankful for my new mantra, "I decide today to be wealthy," because it's a reason for me to say no to the kids at the store.
I'm thankful that the screen on my cellphone doesn't work. I love having to talk to Popeye instead of texting him all the time.
I'm thankful for the endless hugs and kisses at bedtime from Thor.  Then I know that whatever awful things I might've said or done during the day have been completely forgotten and he still loves me.

There's more - but now it's time for me to get the kids to bed.
I had a wonderful day with my family.  My parents came to visit, bringing some food and efusjons with them.  Dad tuned my piano.  Mom taught me how to knit (well, cast-on and knit. No other stitches). The kids played outside and had a great day.
The food was yummy (like always).
I love my parents and am SO grateful that I live close enough to visit frequently.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  I hope you can find something to be grateful for amidst your everyday nuisances.  They're there.  You just have to think about it a little.

My apologies

This morning I came home from work & found that Grand Duchess had made a mess.

She got into the scented reed diffusers that I had sitting out to mail to Pezlady & the Evill Twin.  You remember - they were the ones that won my giveaway when it was my birthday.   I have no idea where all the reeds are and some of the caps are missing, too.  She might've eaten them, I'm not sure.  Maybe Thor thought they were swords & did something with them.  Again, I don't know.

So my sincerest apologies go out to Pezlady and Evill Twin for one; not getting them to you in a timely fashion, two; making you wait even longer for me to follow through and three; being a complete nincompoop.

Now I have to go and get more which totally goes against my new mantra (see post below).

I hope you two will still read my blog.  And if it makes you feel any better, I don't think I'll do another giveaway - I've proven that I'm not reliable enough for that.

Aha!

Do you ever have one of those moments when something becomes so clear that you just want to shout it to the world?
I had one of those moments today.  And because I have a sore throat (and have been yelling at the kids), I'll blog about it instead of shouting it to the world.

This morning I took Princess Monkey Eyes, Thor & Grand Duchess to the library for story hour.  After we left, I realized that I didn't fax the paper that Popeye had asked me to fax, so I ran back in & did that.  While I was waiting for the librarian, I looked at the books displayed on the counter & one of them caught my eye.
"The 5 Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me" by Richard Paul Evans.  And then sitting next to it was it's sequel, "The 5 Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me for Women".  Hmm, for women. 
Let me write out what it says on the inside flap:

"When Richard Paul Evans was twelve years old, his father fell & broke both of his legs.  With no income and no insurance, the Evans family was destitute.  At this time a multimillionaire taught young Evans the five secrets to wealth.  Evans used those five secrets not only to change his life but that of thousands of others when he wrote 'The five lessons a millionaire taught me about life and wealth'.  An international bestseller, this essential book interweaves those influential lessons with personal stories from everyday people.  Evans explains that money should not be the preoccupation of our lives, but instead our focus should be on the principles that free us to concentrate on God, family & relationships - life's true riches. Now Evans has taken years of personal research and coaching to create the perfect money book for women who want a better life.  With his classic, motivational voice, Evans offers lessons that are easy to understand and simple to follow.  Powerful, proven, and life changing, The 5 Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me for Women may be one of the most important books you will ever read."

Maybe it doesn't interest you, but it got my own interest piqued.  So I checked it out and started reading.
After reading a little through it, I've made the assumption that Mr. Evans is LDS, which makes me happy because he knows how important paying tithing is to me.  And that made me want to read even more. 

And I feel this is my answer to my prayers.  Living the principles taught in this book will give me financial security.  Let's face it, Popeye is 9 years older than me, he's in a high-risk job, he may even get deployed.  Even if we both live healthy lives, the statistics show he'll pass on before I will.  I don't want to leave my financial security to chance.

So these are some aha moments I had today while thinking about this book & our finances:

• I want to be able to stop working eventually.
• I want Popeye to be able to retire at a decent age.
• I want to have a home that I can afford and that can fit all of us comfortably.
• I want to be able to travel to grandkids' special occasions.
• I want to be able to help my children if they get into tough times.
• More importantly, I want to teach my children how to be smart about money.
• The furniture I have now (while it's old and ugly and mis-matched) will work.
• I don't need to cook extravagant meals every night, mac and cheese with ground beef will suffice once in a while.
• I want to start implementing these lessons immediately and want to work even more to help our family get out of the hole we're in.
• I want Popeye to have less stress. A lot less stress.

There are more reasons, but don't you think those ones are pretty good?

So my new mantra is:

TODAY I DECIDE TO BE WEALTHY. (Not become wealthy but BE wealthy.  Using the word 'become' makes me feel like it's a far-off, possibly attainable goal.  But using the word 'BE' makes it a positive, motivational goal.)

I've written it down and placed it in places where I am tempted to spend money or that I look at frequently.  One on my nightstand.  One in my wallet on top of my driver's license. One on my computer monitor. One in my crochet wallet. One on the refrigerator next to my shopping list. One in my van. And one on my bathroom mirror (I typically peak there before I leave the house).

And mark my words, I've already started getting my butt in gear and this time next year, I'll have a nest egg started & working my way towards attaining those goals listed above.

It's a wonderful feeling.  A wonderful, liberating, hopeful feeling.

I thought I would buy the book, but I think I'll just keep checking it out of the library instead.

Tuesday Tip!

I love the smell of fall scented candles.  I have a box of autumn spice votives that I use during this time of year.  But I always run into a problem of the wax spilling into my votive holders & causing an awful mess.

To nip this problem in the bud, put a small amount of water in the bottom of your votive holder and put your candle on top.  When the candle melts, the water will keep the wax from melting to the bottom.

Too late?  Stick your holder in the freezer for about an hour and the wax will chip right off.

News

Mr. Fantastic has fasted and prayed (along with Popeye and myself) to know if getting him a second cochlear implant is a wise choice.  We went to the doctor for a consult, talked with the surgeon, had a CT Scan, talked with the audiologist & went away with the knowledge that while operation isn't completely optimal, it is possible for the surgeon to get in there and get everything hooked up.

Below is a picture of how the implant is set up, courtesy of Advanced Bionics.  The doctor will make an insiscion (spelling?) behind his left ear, drill a hole, scrape out any remaining bone inside the cochlea, thread the tubing that houses the wires through the cochlea and attach it to the auditory nerve.  He will also carve a small area out of his skull so that the implant will lay flat under the skin.  The procedure takes about 4 hours and the risks are there.  Facial nerve damage and meningitis are two of the biggest ones.  And since Mr. Fantastic is a 'meningitis patient', those risks are higher.

But he wants it. And he wants it bad.  So here we go.

Pretty cool stuff, huh?  Isn't technology amazing?

We've been very blessed since the very beginning.  I learned sign language when I was just a child.  I taught that sign language to Mr. Fantastic as an infant and toddler.  Before his 3rd birthday is when he lost his hearing from meningitis.  The insurance company didn't want to pay for the surgery (neither did I) because it was a new insurance company and they thought it was a pre-existing condition.  While we were at Children's Hospital they did a hearing test and it came back normal.  That was our proof that he was hearing.  We were approved for a CI and the rest is history.  He was told that he wouldn't have balance.  He can do headstands better than most gymnasts his age.  His speech is better than some with no hearing impairment at all. 

He's a special little guy and I'm so excited for him to have this opportunity to learn directional hearing, music, and having the capabilities that we all take for granted.

So I got a call from the surgeon's nurse today and we discussed it.  Now I'm waiting for Insurance Lady to call me and give me the okay from the insurance company (which hopefully won't be a problem since he's now on Medicaid) and then we schedule the surgery & then do it!

Maybe by Christmas he'll be hearing in both ears.  Won't that be exciting!

Quote of the day from Mr. Fantastic himself: "Mom, now I'll have FOUR ears!" 

He's so funny!

Random Stuff

Yesterday Grand Duchess pulled herself up at the couch.  She's growing too fast.

I had parent/teacher conferences for the boys Thursday.  Mr. Fantastic (3rd grade) is doing well with no concerns.  Optimus Prime (1st grade) is an exceptional student.  His teacher gave me a paper that he wrote and on it said, "I had a monkey at home.  He granted me 3 wishes. My first wish was that I could zoom. But he turned me into a tyranasaurus rex. My second wish was to rule the world. But he turned me into a school instead.  So I didn't give a third wish.  Instead I gave him a wedgie." (And drawn above the story was a picture of a boy holding a monkey by it's underpants.)  We laughed so hard for a few minutes - it was great!

Mr. Fantastic, Princess Monkey Eyes, Grand Duchess & myself took the 6-hour trek to Omaha to visit the ear surgeon.  It was an eventful day and now we have the tough decision on if we should implant Mr. Fantastic on his left side...  Tough.

Popeye was out of town for this week and then he'll be gone all of next week, also.  He's taking a class in Lincoln to become a Drug Recognition Expert.  Just may come in handy with the kids' friends later in life (OUR kids will NEVER do drugs...).  I'm excited to see his manual and notes.  It's a tough class.

I have to give a talk on Sunday about forgiveness...  I'm having a hard time writing it.

Life is kicking my butt right now.  I'm hoping my mother will come for a visit this week to help me with my trim and we're going to make some homemade laundry detergent.  Or even just some help while Popeye is gone...

I cleaned for a friend today.  She bought a new home & needed her condo cleaned.  It was the best move-out job I've ever done - hands down! 

There's this song that Mr. Fantastic used to sing in Kindergarten.  It goes:

'I don't feel so good.  I don't feel so good.  My nose is all runny. My tummy hurts, too.  My mommy says that I have something called flu.  I hope Dr. Smartstuff will know what to do 'cause I don't feel so good.'

Yep.  The flu is running rampant through our little town (along with many other illnesses) and I'm thinking I'm coming down with something. My throat is starting to hurt and my head hurts.  bad.  Popeye felt inspired to give the kids all blessings this morning and I'm thinking that sounds pretty good for me, too. 

I'm glad I finished my book yesterday - I don't think I'd be able to focus with my head hurting this way.
And thanks again to Julie who was giving away that book!  I really enjoyed it!

Anyway.  I hope I can keep this at bay because I can't afford (literally, monetarily) to miss anymore work this month. 

I know.  Jump on in, Her Royal Highness, everyone's in the same boat.