Friday Project

Haven't come up with a cool name for my Friday Project post yet, and I also couldn't, or didn't have time to, come up with a project for this week. So instead I have five projects that I have found around the web that I think are interesting and would like to try.

1. The first project I found at LifeHacker. It's a pen hack; a magnetized pen. Check it out here: MacGyver Tip: Magnetize a Bic pen

2. The next project is a beginner beading project that I would like to try sometime soon. I found it at Tammy Powley's website Jewelry and Beading.Here is the link to the project at her About.com page: Fringe Earrings

3. Project number 3 is a cool Ikea hack from Ikea hacker.It's time to get out the markers.

4. The next project comes from Curbly. Curbly is a very cool DIY site. This project shows you how to make your own roach clip memo/photo holders. How To Make Roach Clip Memo/Picture Clips

5. And finally, this last project can be found at Instructables, another really cool DIY site.
Magnetic Rubik's Dice Cube

Have at it, and have fun!

Aaron is Going to Laugh at Me

for this post, but I had to.



I love Jonathan Rhys Meyers. I think he is super sexy (sorry sweetie). Anyway, he is in the new Showtime series The Tudors. It looks like it's going to be a good show, and though I don't watch television I look forward to being able to see it on DVD sometime in the future. For now, I can watch the first two episodes here.

A New Contest

I'm catching-up on my Google Reader this morning and finally got down to the L's. I saw a post at Life Training - Online. This is a really great blog that I think more people should know about.

Currently “Life Training - Online, a blog dedicated to self improvement and personal development is hosting a free raffle where you can win an 80GB iPod Video! Read this post to learn how you can enter.”

I'm very happy to help get more links to this blog and entering a contest at the same time is a nice perk. So head on over and share the link love!

So Far Behind

I have so much catch-up to do! I have 347 items in my Google Reader to get through, I have a lot of emails to read, and a lot of stuff offline to do. Tomorrow (technically today) is my day off and I know how I'll be spending it now, geez.

Tonight at work was great. It was going smoothly until I just had to open my big mouth and state, outloud, how good the store looked and that we would get out early. Haha. At that very moment I was supposed to have been counting down the safe, I completely forgot! So the end of day accounting took an hour. Then, I forgot my alarm code! I completely blanked. I kept typing in the same four numbers and they weren't working(probably because it's supposed to be 6 numbers), then I looked through my wallet to find the slip of paper that I had written them on, and of course it's not there. At this point I'm panicking. I have a group of booksellers that want to go home, so I let them go and had two stay behind with me until I could figure out how to get the store closed up. I called my boss, who didn't answer and never called back, then I called one of my coworkers, who was nice enough to call back and give me his code. I finally got out, and got home.

The most interesting customer I have had all week wanted to know where the philosophical foundations in education section was located!? Sure, we have a section dedicated to just that subject right. over. here. Ha! I guess that's a good thing. I keep waiting for the crazy customer, or a "screamer" as we like to call them. Y'know the people who think if they yell loudly and often they'll get their way? But, it's been a decent week so far and everything is going smoothly, except for the few occasions that I have forgotten a procedure or my alarm code.

Tomorrow I'll try to get some pictures up, no promises though. I have to get ready for my Crafty/ DIY post on Friday. I'm trying to keep Friday as a regular crafty or DIY post, and trying to come up with a name for it as well. Any ideas?

I Survived

I made it through my first day back at work. No crazy customers, and even the scammers were easy to deal with. I was bored out of my mind though and realized half-way through the day that I am wasting 40 hours a week of my life working for a pittance to make others richer. It's a sucky realization to make when you can't figure out how to fix the problem. There's got to be a better way, but what is it? I'm also sore all over. My feet are screaming. I've been sitting in front of a computer for the past 3 months and I just spent eight straight hours on my feet, ouch.

In other news: Baby G is in full teething mode. We can see a pearly white popping through. Lots of spitting up, tons of drool, lots of chewing, and so much crying. We've been giving him frozen washcloths to chew on, but I caved and spent some money on a couple teethers. Whatever will help him feel better, the poor thing.

Back to the Coal Mines

So, tomorrow is the Big Day; I go back to work. I've been off work and on Maternity Leave for four months. I know how gosh darn lucky I am to have had that time, but I don't want it to be over. It's a lot more fun to stay home, blog, and be with my baby than to have to deal with customers for 8 hours a day. I'm trying to think of the good stuff. It will be nice to be in the book world again, and I love working on projects, I just HATE customers and customer service. I really wish I had never taken the promotion because I loved working in Receiving. I got to work with the books and not have to deal with customers and I had a regular schedule, but I needed the money the promotion offered me. Oh well. I just have to deal. So, if I have time tomorrow night I'll let you know how it went.

I'm Movin! (Kind of)

Google Tutor just ran a great contest, and I was one of the winners!

Having your blog url read "whatever.blogspot.com" is bad. Most people consider these urls as spam. I haven't had any problems using Blogger, except for the template stuff, but I have considered getting my own domain for this blog because of the perception that some people have about Blogger. Google Tutor thinks it's so bad he ran a contest saying he would pay $10 to 6 Blogger bloggers to get a domain name and help them set it up. I entered, and I won. Yippee!! So sometime this week this blog's new address will be nancyslife.com. Everything else will stay the same. Thanks Google Tutor!

A Cool Little Widget

I was going through my MyBlogLog this morning, visiting people who have visited me, and ran across this widget called Imagini:

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

I thought it was so interesting that I had to get one for myself. Go check it out, it's quite fun reading what personality profile they come up with for you; all very accurate for me!

A Day in the Park

Yesterday we finally went to the park. It was Baby G's first time there. This is the park that Aaron and I think of as "Our Park", lots of great memories were made there, some of which I can't post about ;). You can see more pictures of the park in a previous post.
We had a little picnic and then walked on one of the main trails. Photos below.

Beaded Photo Frame

Here is a fun project I completed yesterday. I have a box of imperfect beads; beads that are broken or misshaped, and some photo frames from IKEA. I needed to do a quick craft project and wanted to use the box of these beads.

What you will need:
* Photo frames. These frames from IKEA are perfect to work with. They come in packs of 3 and the 4X6 size is only $1.99.
* Beads. Any beads will work, though you may want to use a large bag of assorted, inexpensive beads.
* A glue gun and glue sticks
* Newspaper, or other table protection
* Bent nose pliers






Once you have all your items, you are set. You can use your imagination. I kept the wood natural for my project, and filled the whole frame with beads. Another option, would be to paint the frame first, then add beads as an accent.

Here is the process of my frame:

Be sure to remove the backing and plastic insert.




Then, using your glue gun, add beads.












And the finished project:




Here it is with a photo:




Click on the photo to see detail.

Also, here are some frames my daughter made for me:







You are only limited by your imagination. Have fun!

Is it Thursday Already?

This week is flying by and I haven't really had anything to post about.

I did, finally, get through every single feed in my Google Reader this morning. I usually have 200+ a day to get through.; I had a lot of catching up to do. In case you haven't noticed, I have a Google Reader gadget on my right sidebar, and I add my favorite posts daily. There's some good stuff there you should check out.

Aaron and I are spending time together everyday with Baby G; doing family stuff. We've been out every day this week. Yesterday Aaron took Baby G out with him while he ran errands so I could have some time alone for almost two hours. I had time alone; by myself. I spent that time eating junk food and playing Final Fantasy XII. It was heaven. Today I think we are going to the park, if we can get Baby G's stroller fixed. We went out for a walk after dinner last night, Aaron wanted to use the stroller that we were given and hadn't used yet, and while we were walking I noticed one of the wheels was wobbly. When we got back Aaron tried to fix it and determined that we need a new part for it. So if that gets done today, we will go to the park, do lots of trail walking, and take lots of pictures. I still have a ton of things to do before the end of the week.

I was going to put up a second part to that bathroom post tomorrow, but just haven't gotten around to cleaning the bathroom and making it picture ready, so I may scrap that and give you something else (a sort of IKEA hack). I still have some bracelets to finish, and I do need to get some housecleaning done. My apartment looks like it threw up and it's literally turned into a maze; it's fun (not) trying to find trails to walk through.

I also need to figure out a posting schedule since I'll be back at work soon and don't know when I'll have time to post. I work in retail so I have one of those lovely retail schedules where you are closing one day and opening the next and never have the same two days off every week, I also almost never have a weekend off.

In my last post I forgot to mention the fun we had thrift shopping. I used to be a die hard thrift store shopper. Looks like I will be agian, what with having to constantly buy new clothes for a growing baby. I can't wear any of the clothes I currently own due to my huge wieght gain, so I needed clothes for work. I got 2 pairs of black slacks, and 3 really nice shirts for $12. For Baby G we got almost enough clothes to get through the year, for $15! Happiness is saving money.

Been Busy

Don't have much to post about right now. Aaron started his Family Leave (Thank you California!) this week, so we have been spending a lot of time together as a family.
Highlights from the weekend:
* The pain in my wrist is getting worse, so I finally found a wrist brace and started wearing it yesterday. I'll post a picture later.
* Jo Ann Fabrics had a 40% off sale on beads and jewelry making supplies so I got stocked up on some new beads and supplies. I also started some new bracelets (pictures coming soon).
* I FINALLY got in some time on Final Fantasy XII. I've been trying since December to play it, I just had no time.
* I tried to quit smoking a failed miserably, yet again.
* Found out that there was a rumor going around at work that I wasn't coming back; hah! I wish!
* Watched a really funny movie yesterday called Idiocracy.

That's it for now. When I have some more time, I'll get up some pictures.

Thank You Joe Satriani

Baby G loves Satriani! I have Surfing With the Alien as a ringtone on my cell phone. I just found out that Baby G loves to hold the phone while it plays. A good, quick distraction. Thank you Joe for making such great music!

3 Months: Sreaming, Screaming, Screaming, and Sometimes Talking Too (Now With Video!)

Wow, Baby G is 3 months old today! Time has flown. I go back to work in a week and am really going to miss my time with him.



This past month Baby G hit some major milestones. He has neck control and likes to follow us and the cat around the room with his eyes. He is sleeping through the night! He usually sleeps for a good 6 hour stretch, wakes for a bottle and diaper change and then goes back to sleep for 4 more hours. Sometimes he will alter the schedule a bit. He still goes to bed very late and sleeps late into the morning. His awake time during the day has increased greatly. I spend most of my day trying to find new things for us to do; Patty Cake, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Tummy Time, looking in the mirror, reading books (which he doesn't really like right now, which makes Mommy and Daddy bookseller very sad), the list goes on. He also loves to stand up and walk, we think he may skip crawling altogether since he hates Tummy Time so much. I wonder how he will ever learn to roll over or crawl. Yesterday we took a smelly tour of the apartment. We smelled everything that had a nice strong scent, except for the cat box. He loves my Moonlight Path candle. He doesn't like vanilla.
The talking has been really fun. He is getting much better and is starting to mimic the words Hi, Hello, and mom or momma. Occasionally I can swear I hear him say "Oh no!" Momma is usually heard when he is upset. Before bedtime he loves to have a conversation:



He also loves to scream. When he gets very happy he screams something that sounds like YeeeeeeHaaaaaaaaa!(If he grows up to be a cowboy I will shoot myself, cause y'know Mommas aren't supposed to let their babies grow up to be cowboys.) He does the same thing when he is frustrated or bored. No video of that yet. But we do have video of the Tummy Time Blues. Baby G hates Tummy Time.



He loves bathtime. He spends most of it checking out the baby in the mirror.



I think he's getting tired of having his picture taken though.

A General Consensus

So there seemed to be agreement on what direction I should be going with my blog. Everyone who answered (thank you all!) seems to agree that I should do a little of everything, so I took down the poll.

I've mentioned throughout the past couple of months my desire to quit smoking, and had even set a date. The date came and went, all I managed was to cut down. Well, that changes tomorrow. Tomorrow I quit. I started a new blog to cover my progress and to rant and rave about smoking in general. Check it out.

Right now, I am exhausted and looking forward to going to sleep.

Just Eeww!

Gorillas gave pubic lice to humans

Okay, so gorillas and humans may not have been "sleeping together", but still, gross.

I Wasn't Kidding About the Bathroom Drawer. (That Post I've Been Promising All Week)

When I posted about ideas for new content on my blog I had mentioned something about showing you all how I organized my bathroom drawer. I was totally serious. It's not glamorous, it's not going to help you lose 10 pounds, or look younger, but it's something that's helped me in my "getting ready" process. Having your possessions organized can save you so much time. This week I'll show you how I got this drawer organized to give you some ideas that you can use at your home as well. Next week I'll show you the other side of my bathroom so you can see the rest of the process of having an organized bathroom to save you time in the morning.

Here is my messy drawer:



It's not horrible, but only because I just quickly unorganized it to show you a messy drawer. The first thing you want to do is go through your drawer and throw out anything you are not using and any old make-up. I always get rid of things I haven't used in the past six months to a year. I tend to be a pack-rat and it takes a lot for me to get rid of things.
The next thing you want to do is find some trays and and small boxes.
I got these boxes (they come as a set):



And these trays (sold individually):



I bought these at IKEA. The trays I can't find on their web site, but I picked them up in the bathroom section of the IKEA in Emeryville, CA.

If you keep your make-up in the drawer, choose a drawer as close as possible to a mirror.

Seperate all your items into like items. For instance, all make-up in one pile, all jewelry in another, hair brushes and combs, etc.

Take your boxes and trays and fill them up. Keep like things together. all make-up in one section of a tray or all make-up in one area of the drawer. Keep things you use often towards the front of the drawer and things you don't use so often towards the back.

Here is how my drawer looks afterwards:



I have my make-up in the front:



And the items I don't use often, like the box of buttons, towards the back.



This set-up makes everything easy to find, and cuts down on my time in the bathroom in the morning. The way I have the make-up organized is especially helpful. I don't need to even remove it from the drawer to use it; I just open the drawer and use it from there, but I'm lucky enough to have a full bathroom mirror right above the drawer.

My Head is About to Explode!

I wish I had audio to go along with this picture. The screaming....Oh, Lord, the screaming! Screaming when he's happy, screaming when he's frustrated, screaming when he's bored, screaming because he doesn't want to take a nap, screaming because he exists. Just 4 more hours and relief will be here. Hopefully my head will still be intact.

Beads Beads Beads

More jewelry

First, I fixed the earrings I had posted a few days ago:



Then I made another set of earrings and a matching bracelet:



Last night before I could go to sleep I had (if you're and artisit you know that feeling) to make another bracelet:

>

For that one I just sorted through my box of imperfect beads and tossed on the beads that weren't broken onto some memory wire.
Now I just need better lighting for pictures. Aaron is going to make me a light box soon.

The Sweet Mix

[Tried to post this earlier today; trying again.I've had to add the links rather than than embed the video]

Last night I was playing some music and playing with Baby G. Little Willy by The Sweet came on and Baby G LOVED it; we had such fun singing and dancing to it. I could not have been happier. I love 70's glam rock (even the bubble gum stuff)and The Sweet is one of my favorite bands. (I love that Baby G is willing to go along with listening to 70's music with me, when everyone else thinks I'm just weird.) So I went hunting around YouTube to see if I could find anything on The Sweet and found this mix.
Enjoy!

Part 1

Part 2

Busy With Baby

So I have lots of stuff to post about. But, I am busy with Baby G. I've also been trying to get a YouTube video to show up; no luck yet. If it doesn't post by the end of the day I'll just link to it. I've got more jewelry to post, some neat links, and we are working on getting video of Baby G up by the end of the week.
Yesterday we actually got the Social Security issue solved. Well, we got his number anyway. But now we'll have to spend the rest of his life making sure his credit doesn't get screwed up because what happened to the card that we didn't get???!
Anyway, back to playing....I'll post more later.

The Artist in Our Family

I realized this morning that I haven't posted much about Aaron and his art projects. He's a busy boy with the art. He has got some great projects in the works. Here are a few of them:

This is an art piece (mock-up of an album cover) he put up on his Robotech blog last night:



He also has a web site where he features his Live Action Graphic Novels. He has one called Victim_, one called Chased/Chaser, and he is working on one based on Robotech.
I recommend you check them out, not just because he is my sweetie, but because they are really cool!
Here is some more art from his blog DigitalCole:





Here is an art piece inspired by hair in the shower:



Please visit his sites and let him know what you think.

DigitalCole Blog

DigitalCole.net

Robotech Fan Blog

Tough Times

I posted on Saturday that I had planned on posting an instructional post (it's not really instructional, just a neat project for the day.)Baby G was having some problems that morning, and I was worried about him, so I just blew everything off for the day. Since he's been sleeping through the night (he's up to eight hours now), we've all been having to make adjustments to our schedules and we're trying to figure out a new schedule for him. I no longer have the time in the morning that I used to have since Baby G is waking up earlier every day and Aaron doesn't wake me up until 8am (I was getting up at 5am). So, I've lost that free quiet time in the morning that I felt so darn lucky to have.

Yesterday was a very emotional day for me. My daughter turned 18! That just scares the heck out of me. She lives with her father, and he has had a very tight reign on her (military man), telling her that at 18 she can do whatever she wants. Well, this week she is going on a trip to Oregon with a friend for Spring Break. Mom. is. freaking. out.

Also, yesterday was the first time I spent time away from Baby G. Aaron arranged for babysitting and took me to a movie. When I walked out the door I cried, for just a minute. It was tough, but Aaron kept asking if I was okay the whole 4 hours we were out, which just made it a little harder. It was nice of him to be concerned though. We saw 300; not as great as I was hoping.

In two weeks I'll be back at work, so I have a lot of adjustments to make.
I'll try to get that project posted on Friday.

I Should Not Be In Charge of Financial Matters Right Now

Ugh! So I sold some stuff on Ebay recently. I am usually (read always) in charge of putting our stuff up on Ebay to sell. In our relationship I've been regulated to Person In Charge of Finances and Important Decisions. I am more organized, and have taken the financial and managerial classes. It seems my good sense has flown out the door since Baby G arrived. I royally screwed up when deciding how much to charge for shipping and how to ship. We have just paid 3 times what I won for the auction to mail it to the winner. Next time I'll be sure to charge at least double what I think shipping should be. If any one is in the market for unused Playtex VentAir bottles, an unused Baby Bjorn, or some very used baby boy clothes? They'll be up on Ebay soon.

More Beads

So, I've picked up the beading again. It had been so long since I last did anything with it that I forgot how to make loops. I need some more serious practice, but here is a pair of earrings I made yesterday morning:



After looking at the close-up of this I realize I also need better lighting.

18

18 years ago today, I gave birth to this beautiful girl:



I'm so very proud! Happy Birthday Sweetie!

The Best Laid Plans

Well, I had planned on posting an instructional post early this morning. I've got some great pictures. Baby G has other plans for me today. I'll try to get it up later; Baby comes first.

Some Great Music

I've been touting the wonderfulness of Finetune for a while now. I have it on almost everyday; it's my background noise since we don't watch television. They have a new station that I am loving called The Lost 45's. Apparently it's a popular radio show on the East Coast? Great, great music.
Check it out.

Sleep Progress

For two nights in a row now Baby G has slept through the night



He sleeps for 6 hours and then wakes for a bottle and diaper change then goes right back to sleep for 4 more hours! If this keeps up, Aaron and I may be able to sleep in the same bed, at the same time. Right now we are on month 3 of opposite shifts. I get up at 5 am and Aaron goes to bed. Aaron gets up at noon and goes to work. He then gets home at 11pm and I go to sleep. I get at least 5 hours a night (8 hours when Aaron has the day off), he gets at least 7. We see each other in passing, report diaper changes and feedings, kiss and say goodnight; except when Aaron has the day off. So far this has worked out really well for us, except for the fact that we almost never see each other.

The Best Breakfast

A good cup of coffee with a banana nut muffin from Costco (that muffin is sliced in half)



And a sleeping baby


Baby G slept through the night for the first time last night. 6 hours in row! Weeeeeee!
We've also stopped using the bouncer and have transitioned him to the Pooh Bear Play Pen in the Living Room. Once he's sleeping through the night regularly we'll transition him to the crib in our room, maybe.

New Direction

I've been thinking about doing new things with my blog. I'm kinda getting bored with the same old thing everyday "oh, wow, look what I just did." And I'm sure it's quite boring most of the time. I had a website at rhowan.com for 8 years and LOVED it. I loved making the graphics and the games, and the networking. It was a really great site, and very web 1.0. The site came down last month because I couldn't pay the bill any longer, though as soon as I can afford it, I'll be putting it back up; I put way too much work into it to let it go completely.
So, I want to do some new things here. I have tons of ideas, but so many that I can't decide what to focus on. That's where you come in. What do you want to see here? I've put up a poll on the top left sidebar of my blog. I've added some options that are some of the ideas I've had and left an "other" option if you have other ideas.

*Bring Back Reading Watching Listening
I had started Reading Watching Listening last year, but it was hard to keep up with; it takes a lot of work. I'd like to bring it back, but don't know if it is something my readers enjoy.

*Book Reviews
I am a bookseller. I work with books, love them, and spend a lot of time recommending them . I've stayed away from book reviews because I do work with them all day. I'm also not a great review writer, but I'd like to get better, and I do read a lot, and I know books.

*More Pictures Please
I've recently really gotten into taking pictures. I've been reading some photoblogs and trying to implement what I am learning. I'd love to get more practice and share what I'm doing, and get feedback (I love feedback.)

*More About Your Hobbies
I have many hobbies. I do a little beading, and a little knitting, and a little painting, etc. Would you like to see more of what I am working on?

*Instructionals
Not really sure yet what I would instruct on, but I do a lot of things and could possibly write post and include pictures on how I do them. Like organizing my bathroom drawers, how to put beads on a basket, or how I organized my bookshelves.

*Video
We are getting a camcorder and I'd like to start putting video on here.

*Reviews
Other types of reviews. Reviews of software I'm using, stores I shop at, food I eat, whatever.

*Other
Tell me what ideas you have. Do you have an interest that I might enjoy blogging about? Let me know.

The poll has no close date as of yet, so keep the ideas coming, I'd really appreciate it.

The Anger Emitting From Me Right Now Could Blow Up the Whole West Coast

We had our son at the hospital back on December 17th 2006. One nice thing the hospital does for you is apply for a social security card for your child. This way you don't have to go through gathering identifying documents and have to take them down to the SS office to apply for a card. In 8 to 10 weeks your card should arrive in the mail. What I thought might happen has happened, because our mail service (Thanks USPS for hiring slackers and thieves (I'm sure they are not all bad, just the ones who deliver to my apartment complex) sucks. Our important papers that we have mailed to us (that require your home address and won't mail to a P.O. Box) almost never show up and we have to go through months of getting replacements, sometimes more than once. It's been 11 weeks and no SS card for my son has shown up. So I called the number provided by the hospital in case this should happen; The Social Security office. What do I have to do? I have no frickin clue! Do I apply for a new card because we don't even have a number yet, or do we apply for a replacement? Either way we have to go through what we would have had to go through without the hospitals help, only waaaaaay later. Taxes are due soon. We had to send Aaron's in already when we wanted to claim Baby G on his, because of my financial issues we won't see any of the money I can get claiming him on mine. I might have to forgo claiming him at all at this rate. Thanks USPS, Hospital and Social Security Administration for adding that extra stress that I REALLY needed right now!!!!
Thank you internet for letting me vent!

I Couldn't Have Said it Better Myself

I got up this morning, made my coffee, and sat down at the computer; Baby G was asleep (Thank you!). The computer screen was showing a post, not yet published, that Aaron had been writing. My guess was that he needed me to proof read it for him before posting it. I'm his editor and occasionally proof his writing, and I do a much better job editing others writing (though I don't proof read well at 4 in the morning), just not my own, hehe. By the end of the post I was teary-eyed, and felt that I really needed to share his post here. It's a long one so get a snack and a drink....

George Bailey is My Middle Name

After you read, be sure to stop by and look at his artwork for sale on Ebay, here, here, and here.

They've Taken Over

Help! Click on this picture and view it in it's original size to see the little creature in the right corner of the sliding glass door.


They've taken over my balcony, and I can't get outside. Nor can I find where they are coming from. Anyone have any good tips on deterring paper wasps?

Beading

A few days ago I did a couple of very quick bead projects. When I just need to get my head somewhere else for a bit, I like to do some kind of art or craft. I'm still very new to beading and still learning how to assemble jewelry. I put together a very quick elastic bracelet and threaded some beads onto a basket I have on the bar above my kitchen sink.

Here's the bracelet:


And here's the basket:


The shot glass in that picture I bought on my trip to Disneyland last year, the week before I found out I was pregnant; I have yet to use it.

Messy Blog

Geez! Okay, the formatting in my last post is all messed up, and I can't figure out how to fix it when it looks just fine in preview. Grrr. Also, My MyBlogLog widget is totally missing! WTF?

Stock Market Crash and Opportunities

I'm not a financial guru. If I was, I wouldn't be having the financial troubles I am right now. I personally don't have a horrible debt problem. I only have 3 lines of credit that are not over $2000 (I've kept them at that level so I won't get into too much trouble). Of course, those are maxed out at the moment. Plus, I have my student loans to pay off, but I see that as an investment; maybe once I have my degree I'll have a chance at a higher income.

Have I been good about saving money? Oh no! I've made a lot of mistakes in that regard. I've been with my company for 8 years and I didn't ever sign up for the 401k. Major opportunity loss there. I have a money market savings account, that I don't put any money into. I also own some stocks. I have one of those accounts that you can pay as much money as you can afford into and it disperses it throughout your portfolio. I haven't been putting any money into that either.

After the stock market fiasco last week, I checked my portfolio, and ya, I lost some of the money I did have invested. But it wasn't much and it didn't hurt me financially. Right now I'm looking at this as an opportunity to beef up my portfolio. I have some ideas in mind to find a little money here and there to add to my money market account and my portfolio so that I can start on the road to having a little nest egg, or at least emergency funds.

• Take the money I was spending on cigarettes (haven't completely quit yet; that's a whole other post) and disperse that throughout my portfolio each month. ($80)
  
• Once I'm enrolled in school full-time (hopefully this week), I'll apply for a deferment on my student loan payments and write that check out to my money market account each month ($295 at 4.48%)

Of course this all depends on how much money we will have to spend on daycare and on how much our rent will go up when we have to move to a two bedroom apartment.

I still have time, if I am aggressive, to get to a point that I am completely out of debt and have some money left over to be comfortable. I really don't want to be working full-time for the next 30 years, or even the next 10. I'd like to be able to gain an income, even if it's small, through my hobbies, be able to spend time with my family, and possibly travel.
I'd like to do a lot of things, but I just need to do it, rather than always make plans and not follow through.

Headers

So I've been toying with the idea of putting up a new header each month.
I decided to start this month with a header that is dedicated to my daughter, who turns 18 in just a week. OMG, 18! Am I really old enough to have an 18 year old child?!
Next time I'll be sure to size the header correctly, *slaps forehead*.

I Will Burn in the Firey Pit of Hell for Bad Parents

So a couple of nights ago Baby G was being extremely fussy. Nothing we were doing was working. He wasn't hungry, he wasn't too cold, or too hot, he wouldn't go to sleep, he didn't want to play or talk. We couldn't figure out what was wrong. So Aaron said "why not try playing that badger video that S (my daughter) showed us." I gave in to temptation.
I found the Badger video and once it started playing, he stopped being fussy and was transfixed. I then let him watch the Giraffe video, and he absolutely loves the Mango video.
Ugh! I feel so horrible.