"A Wink and a Smile"

Go visit this sweet lady and hear all about it. She also has some great words about bigger families! ALSO today ... I am officially the mother of a high schooler ... yikes! What happened to this baby?

I got into my car this morning and noticed that my saved XM stations were no longer the same. When I arrived home later I checked online and noted that XM/SIRIUS  have now been combined as of today.  YAY!!!! I can now listen to The CATHOLIC CHANNEL  , but more importantly I can hear GREG AND JENNIFER   more often than their Rosary Army podcast. COOL!

They opened a PANERA in my neck of the woods.  I realize that this really is not important news to anyone but me.  However, I LOVE good bread, good coffee, and good soup/sandwiches.   The 3 year old and I just had a breakfast date after dropping the big girls off at school.  It was so nice. YAY!

1. Globalized jobs return home 2. Sprawl Stalls (people living closer to cities where they work) 3. Four day work weeks 4. Less pollution (vehicle emisions drop) 5. More frugality (the need to go with the cheaper sunscreen ...LOL) 6. Fewer traffic deaths (people are slowing down on the roads) 7. Cheaper insurance (driving less can lower your car ins.) 8. Less traffic 9. More cops on the beat (more police on foot and bike) 10. Less Obesity (people walk more, bike more, and eat out less) This list was taken from the July 14th issue of TIME magazine . *My husband was recently talking about how his company (and it is a big one) was discussing 4 day work weeks. We have already seen how they have cut back his travel big time ... I guess a lot of companies are doing that. A 4 day work week would be cool for our family! *I have also noticed how some chain restaurants are trying to keep their customers coming back by making smaller portioned lunches for less money. Everyone seems to be trying ...

Betcha don't have one of these babies!!!!!!!! Some of you may have heard of these creative folks who designed some lovely prom attire out of duct tape .

I just read this article yesterday and it really broke my heart. I realize that my children are spoiled.  They don't know what it is like to not have things.  They don't worry about food, shelter, and not getting to participate in their activities.  Of course my husband and I don't give them everything they want, but they have more than they need (and then some). Growing up I was always made aware that "money doesn't grow on trees".  We were a one income family with 4 children and money was always tight.  Late in my highschool years, my dad lost his banking job and suddenly there was not much to live on.  I was all set to go to college and I knew that things would not go smoothly.  My parents ended up losing their home and moving into my grandmother's house.  Later things would get a little better (but not before they claimed bankruptcy) when they relocated to Florida and my dad got a job working in a hospital. I saw financial stress and how it affected m...

I am stealing this link from here ...THANKS ;) I am drawn to tragedy, but especially to that which connects with me. What a great loss , but how moving that he is given so much press for the man he was. I can't even imagine leaving this world as I know it, and having so many wonderful things said about me. Watching this just brought tears to my eyes. What an amazing young man he leaves behind ... WOW!

GAS PRICES are killin' us right now. With my driving routine right now we easily fill up the tank every 5 days and with the price at $3.50 right now ... OUCH! Hopefully the summer months will give my car (Yukon XL) a little bit of a break. Of course we will start off the summer with a big road trip to FL and I know that will be very pricey. For now I am trying to make every car trip worthwhile ... combining shopping and errands so that there is not the constant go out, go home, and go out again. This doesn't necessarily make my little ones happy when they are stuck waiting for their sisters to finish up activities. After yesterday, I really need to be better prepared with snacks, books, coloring materials, etc. to keep us occupied while we wait. Another challenge is DINNER . Because I am not home in the afternoon I really need to prepare dinner before lunch. WHY? ... so that we can actually eat dinner at a normal hour and not at 7:30pm when my grumpy children have complained ...

I saw this today ... Middle school provides birth control to students It is just so wrong on so many levels. A friend noted that these people seem to be giving up on these kids. How completely heartbreaking!