It's official.. Skip and I failed Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. We were very "gung ho" when we signed up but then mono struck. I posted my anxiety about the whole FPU, spending only cash, don't have fun, eat rice type of living in the beginning. We missed the past 7 or so meetings (there are only 15). We really did have a fun small group and hate that we didn't get to spend more time with them.
We have specific words that we choose not to use in our house: stupid, hate, dumb, etc. You get the drift. They aren't necessarily cuss words but tend to be over-used once they are allowed. Well..... knowing we don't use these words, they are kind of like cuss words when my kids say them. All 3 of them at one time or another said, "I hate Dave Ramsey, he is stupid." I sensed they were tired of hearing, Dave Ramsey would not want us to go out to eat, Dave Ramsey would not want us to go to Disney this December, etc. But.. it did give them insight as to how much money we spend on them. Our children are less than deprived and they needed this budget stuff to bring them closer to reality.
All and all...our mini Dave Ramsey class was beneficial. If it did anything, it made us think about what we spend money on and start to formulate a budget. We have never lived on a budget so this is a big deal to us. For that reason, the class was worth it. So.. I apologize for my complaining and would recommend this course to anyone, just be ready to be miserable for a week or two until you adjust.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Thank Goodness the elections are over.. well kind of..
Inhale.. exhale.. inhale... exhale.. inhale... exhale...
If you know me or have read any of my posts over the last few months, you have probably gotten the idea that I do not like elections. In fact, I can't stand elections. I think they bring out the worst in people and especially in Christians. I have never been so disappointed in some things in all my life. I don't care who votes for who but the it is the very opinionated "my way is the only right way" attitudes that drive me nuts. I have to remind myself... Would Jesus approve of the Christian's behavior during elections? I do not think so, not at all. Do non-believers see anything in Christians during elections that would draw them to Christ? I don't think so. I am generalizing but this election seemed particularly bad. Imagine how much Christians could do for the Kingdom if they put the same effort and emotion in the Kingdom as they do in elections?
A few tidbits about the elections:
*** Forum blogs will allow you to change your name each time you comment. I won't tell you how I know that but it does allow one to agree with a comment written by.. let's say... yourself under a different identity.
*** Obama got 10% of the votes at my daughters' private Christian school. Kendall told Skip Obama got 49 votes and thought that meant 49%. It turns out.. he actually got 49 votes out of 500. I had to explain to my children that we live in a Red state and that would not be that way in a Blue state. Hard to explain to a 7, 9 and 11 year old.
*** MOST (over 75% if I had to guess) e-mails sent to persuade other voters are false (Both Democrat and Republican). I have become very familiar with snopes.com and factcheck.org. It only takes 10 seconds to prove the e-mails wrong. I am amazed at how people can read e-mail SPAM and it turns into 'truth' (I use that term loosely).
*** Obama is not a Muslim. He has professed to be a Christian. Who are we to judge? I can't believe it when I hear that out of Christians' mouths.
*** The two folks in the GA Senator race have the meanest commercials around. They are not family friendly. I am so upset that we have a run-off: 2 phone calls and 4 commercials in 1/2 hour. I refuse to vote for either candidate. Where is Sam Nunn or Zell Miller when you need them?
*** A random guy named Robert Franz from Virginia sent me a long e-mail on my positions. He was apparently forwarded an e-mail from a friend to a friend.. and so on. I don't even know the guy and could care less about what he thought. I was amazed in the amount of time he spent on his e-mail. Wow.. get a life dude.
*** I stood in line for 2 hours to vote early. Skip voted on election day and stood in line for 25 minutes.
*** I didn't know who my husband was voting for until 3 days before the election and did not know who he voted for in other races until after. I like the fact that we make up our own minds. We have stressed this to our children.
*** John McCain's concession speech was incredible! I think he showed more grace in that speech than in the entire campaigning period.
*** I was glad to see Jessee Jackson and Oprah were not on stage with Obama. But.. why were they shown on TV over and over again.
*** I voted for Obama. I know.. some of my friends and families disagree but I don't care. It is my vote, my decision, my right. I have voted for both Republican and Democrat candidates. I have watched victory speeches before but never have I gotten chill bumps like I got this time. It was a very proud moment in the United States.
*** I honestly think some people thought the world would end on Nov. 5th. I found that very humorous but also felt sorry for the fear they must live under.
*** I am amazed at how much parents must say in front of their children. The things my kids heard at church, school and from friends would frighten anyone. Sad...
*** If you write in a candidate, they don't make the newspaper.
*** I honestly think Obama will pick a great cabinet and do a great job. I do not think he will carry a left agenda but will be a more middle of the road president. will he be perfect, No, absolutely not.
*** I wish politics didn't enter church.
*** The Voter stickers in GA can get you free food. Will remember that next year.
*** I am glad we will not do this again for 4 years. I will probably quietly research the candidates myself. I will ask my friends and family members on both sides to keep their spam and opinions to themselves. Remind me if I forget.
If you know me or have read any of my posts over the last few months, you have probably gotten the idea that I do not like elections. In fact, I can't stand elections. I think they bring out the worst in people and especially in Christians. I have never been so disappointed in some things in all my life. I don't care who votes for who but the it is the very opinionated "my way is the only right way" attitudes that drive me nuts. I have to remind myself... Would Jesus approve of the Christian's behavior during elections? I do not think so, not at all. Do non-believers see anything in Christians during elections that would draw them to Christ? I don't think so. I am generalizing but this election seemed particularly bad. Imagine how much Christians could do for the Kingdom if they put the same effort and emotion in the Kingdom as they do in elections?
A few tidbits about the elections:
*** Forum blogs will allow you to change your name each time you comment. I won't tell you how I know that but it does allow one to agree with a comment written by.. let's say... yourself under a different identity.
*** Obama got 10% of the votes at my daughters' private Christian school. Kendall told Skip Obama got 49 votes and thought that meant 49%. It turns out.. he actually got 49 votes out of 500. I had to explain to my children that we live in a Red state and that would not be that way in a Blue state. Hard to explain to a 7, 9 and 11 year old.
*** MOST (over 75% if I had to guess) e-mails sent to persuade other voters are false (Both Democrat and Republican). I have become very familiar with snopes.com and factcheck.org. It only takes 10 seconds to prove the e-mails wrong. I am amazed at how people can read e-mail SPAM and it turns into 'truth' (I use that term loosely).
*** Obama is not a Muslim. He has professed to be a Christian. Who are we to judge? I can't believe it when I hear that out of Christians' mouths.
*** The two folks in the GA Senator race have the meanest commercials around. They are not family friendly. I am so upset that we have a run-off: 2 phone calls and 4 commercials in 1/2 hour. I refuse to vote for either candidate. Where is Sam Nunn or Zell Miller when you need them?
*** A random guy named Robert Franz from Virginia sent me a long e-mail on my positions. He was apparently forwarded an e-mail from a friend to a friend.. and so on. I don't even know the guy and could care less about what he thought. I was amazed in the amount of time he spent on his e-mail. Wow.. get a life dude.
*** I stood in line for 2 hours to vote early. Skip voted on election day and stood in line for 25 minutes.
*** I didn't know who my husband was voting for until 3 days before the election and did not know who he voted for in other races until after. I like the fact that we make up our own minds. We have stressed this to our children.
*** John McCain's concession speech was incredible! I think he showed more grace in that speech than in the entire campaigning period.
*** I was glad to see Jessee Jackson and Oprah were not on stage with Obama. But.. why were they shown on TV over and over again.
*** I voted for Obama. I know.. some of my friends and families disagree but I don't care. It is my vote, my decision, my right. I have voted for both Republican and Democrat candidates. I have watched victory speeches before but never have I gotten chill bumps like I got this time. It was a very proud moment in the United States.
*** I honestly think some people thought the world would end on Nov. 5th. I found that very humorous but also felt sorry for the fear they must live under.
*** I am amazed at how much parents must say in front of their children. The things my kids heard at church, school and from friends would frighten anyone. Sad...
*** If you write in a candidate, they don't make the newspaper.
*** I honestly think Obama will pick a great cabinet and do a great job. I do not think he will carry a left agenda but will be a more middle of the road president. will he be perfect, No, absolutely not.
*** I wish politics didn't enter church.
*** The Voter stickers in GA can get you free food. Will remember that next year.
*** I am glad we will not do this again for 4 years. I will probably quietly research the candidates myself. I will ask my friends and family members on both sides to keep their spam and opinions to themselves. Remind me if I forget.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Happy Birthday Waverly!
Waverly Julia Gilcrease was born at 1:08 AM on 11-3-97 in Dover, New Hampshire. She was 19" long and weight 6 lbs. 8 ounces. I can remember the moment as vividly now as it was then. It was the most amazing moment!!!! How can anyone look at a child being born and question our God? She was our first and everything that implies. We did not allow the TV to be on if Waverly was in the room and we played classical music. Most of you that know me probably are laughing hysterically by now. Waverly saw her first TV show, TELETUBBIES, when Kendall was born compliments of a gift from my dad. Funny side note.. we loosened up by the time Grant came along. In fact, Grant's favorite song by age 2 was Fat Bottomed Girls by Queen. Waverly only had organic baby-food. Grant, age 2, ate several week old sausage out of his car seat without me doing much more than shrugging my shoulders in defeat. So.. there is a little perspective on how parents change as the birth order progresses. After the first 13 weeks (colic-ugh), Waverly has been a really easy child. She is a pleaser and wants to make others happy. Waverly did not have much time to be an only child as Kendall was born 20 months later then Grant was born when she was only 3 1/2.
Waverly has grown up into such a compassionate young lady. She is still very innocent at heart but empathetic way beyond her years. She started a non-profit called A Fresh Hope (see www.afreshhope.com). Her non-profit does work Skip and I to death but it is such a blessing to our family and others. We have no doubt that Waverly will end up in a ministry of some sort. We only pray that she is not living in another continent (for very selfish reasons). Waverly has a very close relationship with God and puts all her faith in God. She sees things very Black and White. She does not know boundaries in helping others and wants to save the world. It is refreshing but sad when she realizes that she cannot change something.
Waverly wants to go to the Biltmore House for her birthday. We cannot find a free weekend until after New Years so we will head there for a weekend in January. We are off to Aspens for dinner tonight. This is the first year she is not having a party. It is a little hard as I have thrown pretty big parties in the past. Last year, she rented the FUR BUS for 20 or so of her pals. This year will be quiet but it was her choice.
My heart hurts when I think of the short time left with Waverly living at home. I selfishly wish I could stop time. We are so proud of you Waverly! We love you Waverly! Happy Birthday!
Waverly has grown up into such a compassionate young lady. She is still very innocent at heart but empathetic way beyond her years. She started a non-profit called A Fresh Hope (see www.afreshhope.com). Her non-profit does work Skip and I to death but it is such a blessing to our family and others. We have no doubt that Waverly will end up in a ministry of some sort. We only pray that she is not living in another continent (for very selfish reasons). Waverly has a very close relationship with God and puts all her faith in God. She sees things very Black and White. She does not know boundaries in helping others and wants to save the world. It is refreshing but sad when she realizes that she cannot change something.
Waverly wants to go to the Biltmore House for her birthday. We cannot find a free weekend until after New Years so we will head there for a weekend in January. We are off to Aspens for dinner tonight. This is the first year she is not having a party. It is a little hard as I have thrown pretty big parties in the past. Last year, she rented the FUR BUS for 20 or so of her pals. This year will be quiet but it was her choice.
My heart hurts when I think of the short time left with Waverly living at home. I selfishly wish I could stop time. We are so proud of you Waverly! We love you Waverly! Happy Birthday!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Pumpkin Patch...
Isn't fall fun? Going to the pumpkin patches, picking out a pumpkin, hay rides, etc. I have been to Bert's Pumpkin Patch 7 times if you count each Pre-K field trip, each Kindergarten field trip and once as a family (we may have gone twice as a family). It is a great little place. I could probably give the speech on the hay ride if they needed a sub one day. This year.. we had every intention of going to a nice pumpkin patch, enjoying a fall day, drinking cider, going through a corn maze.
So.. off we go.. each kid had the joy of looking through all the pumpkins to pick the very special pumpkin for Halloween 2008. Skip helps find 'great' pumpkins as usual by placing each prospect gently on the ground. My kids have specific taste in Pumpkins. Kendall and I like the short fat pumpkins. Waverly and Skip usually go for the tall, thinner pumpkins. Grant is a wild card. You never know what he will pick.
Here are a few photos of our kids picking out their pumpkins.....
Our fall has been busy coupled with the fact that Skip and I have mono and not quite the energy needed to do a 'real' pumpkin patch. Our pumpkin patch this year involved a different flair (and I don't mean the Facebook flair). We didn't quite stroll through a corn maze. It was maze of stuff, isles of goods and carts of groceries but not necessarily a corn maze. We didn't ride on a hay ride or drink hot cider. But.. we have 3 pumpkins that have been hollowed out ready for the cutting tomorrow night.
Here is a photo of our pumpkin patch destination (wouldn't Dave Ramsey be thrilled- check out the price of those pumpkins):
So.. off we go.. each kid had the joy of looking through all the pumpkins to pick the very special pumpkin for Halloween 2008. Skip helps find 'great' pumpkins as usual by placing each prospect gently on the ground. My kids have specific taste in Pumpkins. Kendall and I like the short fat pumpkins. Waverly and Skip usually go for the tall, thinner pumpkins. Grant is a wild card. You never know what he will pick.
Here are a few photos of our kids picking out their pumpkins.....
Our fall has been busy coupled with the fact that Skip and I have mono and not quite the energy needed to do a 'real' pumpkin patch. Our pumpkin patch this year involved a different flair (and I don't mean the Facebook flair). We didn't quite stroll through a corn maze. It was maze of stuff, isles of goods and carts of groceries but not necessarily a corn maze. We didn't ride on a hay ride or drink hot cider. But.. we have 3 pumpkins that have been hollowed out ready for the cutting tomorrow night.
Here is a photo of our pumpkin patch destination (wouldn't Dave Ramsey be thrilled- check out the price of those pumpkins):
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Christmas Party
Hey friends.. Skip and I have decided we are not going to have our annual Christmas Party this year. It has turned into a wonderful tradition and are sad about skipping it this year. Skip and I both have mono and have been warned by the MD that we need to take it easy this holiday season (yea right). We are going to AL and FL during Thanksgiving. Waverly's foundation, A Fresh Hope, is having a Christmas event on 12-21-08. Squeezing a Christmas party seemed like too much this year. We hope to see you all at our party in 2009.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Blogging limitations
A read a lot of really funny and inspiring blogs. A lot of the blogs are written by moms of younger children. The stories are very funny and I can related to most of them. So.. here comes posting on my blog. You see, I have to be careful posting on my blog because my 2nd, 4th and 5th graders are frequent viewers of the blog. If I were to post an embarrassing story, it would not be a good day in the Gilcrease household. I wouldn't want to embarrass them but there are some stories I think are funny and sweet that would be a reason to move to Canada in their book. I would love to tell stories of funny things they say or do but I will just have to jot a little note down and save it for when they have kids.
Another limitation is my kids' friends also read this blog (Hello Brandon and Megan)... so even if my kids missed a funny story on this blog, their friends would be sure to tell them about it. I was almost most in hot water over the ear piercing story. So... for now.. we will have to stick to censored stories for curious minds.
RANDOM UPDATE: Skip now has mono. Wonder where he got it from?
Another limitation is my kids' friends also read this blog (Hello Brandon and Megan)... so even if my kids missed a funny story on this blog, their friends would be sure to tell them about it. I was almost most in hot water over the ear piercing story. So... for now.. we will have to stick to censored stories for curious minds.
RANDOM UPDATE: Skip now has mono. Wonder where he got it from?
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Mono aka The Kissing Disease
Well.. all through my tween and teenage years, I went through mono testing anytime I got overly tired. I swam for Swim Atlanta and swimming 25 hours a week on top of school can wear a gal out. I never got mono, ever. I knew a ton of teens that got mono, but never me. I think I secretly wanted it as a teen so I could take a break from school, swimming and get some rest. I have always been a big sleeper. I am the type that needs 8 hours to be worth anything the next day. You are risking it if you call me past 9:30 on a school night.
Well.. fast forward 25 years... About a month ago, I was beat. I was flat exhausted! After two weeks of feeling horrible, I went to the doctor. I had a throat culture and came home with a Z-pack. A week went by, still exhausted and feeling like a truck ran over me.. I went back in and had blood work done. On a side note.. the nurse at Dr. Loe's office rocks! I honestly did not even feel the needle that was sucking a few vials of blood out of my arm. So.. Dr. Loe called me this Monday morning and woke me up because I sleep a lot now.
Here is the conversation:
Dr. Loe: Hello Jennifer, this is Robin Loe. How are you feeling?
Me: Not so great. In fact, I was going to call you today.
Dr. Loe: you don't feel good because you have MONO. Your blood levels are through the roof.
We went through the details of mono, recovery, side effects, etc. You are not suppose to get mono once you round the corner of 40. Dr. Loe basically said I would be pretty tired for the remainder of 2008. My side hurts because my spleen is swollen. I will have off/on fevers. I need to be isolated for another week or two. My husband has questioned me on how I got the kissing disease. You don't have to kiss someone with mono, you only need to have a droplet of saliva. Can I tell you how gross that is to me? Somewhere, somehow, a droplet of saliva from some random person got into my mouth. YUCK!
Now, let's exam this a little closer. How in the world is a working mother of 3 suppose to clear her calendar in October, November and December? I think it is fair to say these are the busiest months of the year. There are fall activities, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. A Fresh Hope is doing a Christmas event 12/21. My mom has demanded a list of activities I plan on cutting out. I offered to let her come here and cook/clean but she declined that offer. I love you mom if you are reading this.. Our strong point is just not cooking. My mom called me Wednesday morning and woke me up to tell me to get some rest. Now mom.... does that make sense?
So.... I am looking a little worse for the wear right now. I have cut back washing my hair to every 3-4 days rather than every other day. Doesn't that count for my list of activities I am cutting back? I have high ups and downs. During the downs.. I am good for nothing except a little complaining and sleeping. During the ups.. I try to get as much done as possible. This just throws me into a down moment. It is a roller coaster ride.
Thank you to my kind friends that have sent notes, made me soup, and called. No one has offered to give me a hug and I can't understand why. I should be able to be in public more at the first of next week. I probably shouldn't swap spit with my hubby for a while (even though he said it doesn't matter because if he has it, he has it). By the way.. he is getting tested tomorrow.
Well.. fast forward 25 years... About a month ago, I was beat. I was flat exhausted! After two weeks of feeling horrible, I went to the doctor. I had a throat culture and came home with a Z-pack. A week went by, still exhausted and feeling like a truck ran over me.. I went back in and had blood work done. On a side note.. the nurse at Dr. Loe's office rocks! I honestly did not even feel the needle that was sucking a few vials of blood out of my arm. So.. Dr. Loe called me this Monday morning and woke me up because I sleep a lot now.
Here is the conversation:
Dr. Loe: Hello Jennifer, this is Robin Loe. How are you feeling?
Me: Not so great. In fact, I was going to call you today.
Dr. Loe: you don't feel good because you have MONO. Your blood levels are through the roof.
We went through the details of mono, recovery, side effects, etc. You are not suppose to get mono once you round the corner of 40. Dr. Loe basically said I would be pretty tired for the remainder of 2008. My side hurts because my spleen is swollen. I will have off/on fevers. I need to be isolated for another week or two. My husband has questioned me on how I got the kissing disease. You don't have to kiss someone with mono, you only need to have a droplet of saliva. Can I tell you how gross that is to me? Somewhere, somehow, a droplet of saliva from some random person got into my mouth. YUCK!
Now, let's exam this a little closer. How in the world is a working mother of 3 suppose to clear her calendar in October, November and December? I think it is fair to say these are the busiest months of the year. There are fall activities, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. A Fresh Hope is doing a Christmas event 12/21. My mom has demanded a list of activities I plan on cutting out. I offered to let her come here and cook/clean but she declined that offer. I love you mom if you are reading this.. Our strong point is just not cooking. My mom called me Wednesday morning and woke me up to tell me to get some rest. Now mom.... does that make sense?
So.... I am looking a little worse for the wear right now. I have cut back washing my hair to every 3-4 days rather than every other day. Doesn't that count for my list of activities I am cutting back? I have high ups and downs. During the downs.. I am good for nothing except a little complaining and sleeping. During the ups.. I try to get as much done as possible. This just throws me into a down moment. It is a roller coaster ride.
Thank you to my kind friends that have sent notes, made me soup, and called. No one has offered to give me a hug and I can't understand why. I should be able to be in public more at the first of next week. I probably shouldn't swap spit with my hubby for a while (even though he said it doesn't matter because if he has it, he has it). By the way.. he is getting tested tomorrow.
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