Things that make me go hmmmm....

I just got an email asking me to go sign a petition to stop Obama from repealing the Conscience Clause, a legislation allowing medical workers to be excused from performing medical procedures or even offering medical advice that they are morally opposed to. Of course the big deal is about abortion but it actually covers anything from birth control to vaccinations, or anything else that someone may find themselves morally opposed to doing.

At first glance, of course, we should all jump on and not want this repealed. No one should be forced to participate in a procedure, medical or otherwise that they feel is wrong!

Except,
uh,
no one is FORCING anyone.

What happened to the individual standing up for their beliefs?
Have we SERIOUSLY come so far away from personal responsibility that we need the government to give us a free pass so that we can take our morally superior position but not have to really stand up for it?

Of course it's possible that I have indeed missed something. That if this is repealed then doctors and nurses are facing jail time for not performing abortions. But I find that hard to believe.
I think they are possibly facing censure at work, maybe even having their jobs threatened.
I'm not making light of that, I'm truly not.

However, to say that (as the petition in question was worded) if this is repealed then health care workers will be FORCED into doing things they find morally wrong, well, it's just isn't true.

If I can't face opposition or even the possibility of losing my job to stand up for my convictions... I don't think they are much of a conviction. A preference sure, but a conviction?

Let me clarify, I hope that the longstanding (30 years) protection allowing healthcare workers to opt out of abortion is left intact--from what I can read, it is not being threatened, it's the very new legislation (enacted inauguration morning) that is going to be repealed. I'm honestly not sure of the implications of the new wording and how it differs from this old legislation. Also, since this legislation was only enacted 2 months ago, how is its removal really going to effect anyone? Bush was in office for 8 years. If this was THAT important, why wasn't it brought about sooner? Methinks it was done merely to make a point... and that it was done with the full expectation that it would immediately be repealed. GREAT use of our tax dollars, hey? Of course, it has served a higher purpose of giving the Right a new maypole to dance around, that's always nice.

(no way, my tongue is no where near my cheek!)

My point is... when is a conviction a conviction? When is it a preference? Are you willing to lose your job to stand up for what you think is right?

My real issue is with the wording of the petition... very whiny, self-righteous, if the gov't won't give me an umbrella to hide under then there is nothing I can do about it.
Bull-ony (that's Bologna for those of you who don't spell phonetically).

I think what the issue here is that we have been living fat and happy in the land of the free for so long that we have NO idea what it would be like to face real opposition for our beliefs, religious or otherwise.

One good thing that did come out of this is that Jeff and I had quite a discussion hammering out which of our actions are based on conviction and which are based on preference. For instance, we discovered that while we feel very strongly about homeschooling, homeschooling is not a conviction and we would not go to jail over it. Parents raising their children is the conviction and homeschooling is a great way to act upon that conviction. That conviction would be directly thwarted if they were taken away from us while we were jailed. Of course, that is a worst case scenario (although one that is entirely too real in much of Europe) and we continue to support our homeschool legislative group to protect our right to act upon our conviction.

So anyway... I'll be worried if they try to repeal the long-standing law protecting health care providers moral choice; The future nurses of AMerica or whatever that group is needs to grow up and stop whining, or at least stop the gross misrepresentation shown by that petition; and, it does one good to occasionally stop and take stock in what you truly believe.

A Challenge

I receive on an average of 4-5 email forwards per day, many (perhaps 75%) of them on the subject of patriotism.
I get the ones featuring beautiful pictures of the flag and soaring eagles; I get ones containing prayers for our military; I get ones trying to convince me that our new Commander in Chief is the antichrist; I get ones (or maybe it's the same one over and over for the past 10 years!) from some Canadian guy who feels like the USA gets a bum rap in the international community.

I am here today to offer a challenge. I do not necessarily subscribe to the fear mongering that goes on in the name of preserving true American values, but I DO understand that our nation is under a lot of stress right now. I may not be be a die-hard GOP, but one thing is for sure, I am against big government, and the things going on right now in DC are the harbingers of a humongous, swallow-us-whole, monster of a big government.

You care about our country, right? Of course you do, or you wouldn't keep opening and forwarding those emails urging us all to love Jesus and the USA.
For one day, instead of forwarding emails that warn you that deleting is a sure sign of communism in your heart, take real action. I challenge you to take 3 minutes and call your representative. Tell him or her that you are AGAINST the government being allowed to take over private companies in the name of "saving the economy", tell them that the American people are smart enough to make their own decisions about toy safety and to put a stop to the CSPIA that is threatening thousands of small, American businesses. Tell them that our military should NOT be required to start footing even part of the bill for their health care, and that reassessing the state of VA benefit recipients for the sole purpose of UN-qualifying as many as possible to save money is NOT an acceptable way to save government money.

Choose the current event that bothers you most and make your voice heard. I know that we often think that our one voice doesn't really matter. But, it does. In the fall of 2008 a small grassroots effort grew into a force so powerful that the voices of individual micro-businesses were actually heard and we received a reprieve on the CSPIA that would have made our businesses illegal. The fight is not over, but it was proven that DC DOES listen!

Follow the LINK to get information on how to contact your representative.
Go on, do it, I dare you!

some days, life is just good.

The other day we made plans to go to the park and meet some friends. It was the last beautiful day (weather-wise) for a while, so we went and while it was nothing fancy, it was just so nice. The kids had so much fun, they played so well, Jonny went to sleep for a long time, and I was able to sit and visit with my good friend while our kids played. It was really a GOOD day.

Thursday was the kids' last class of swim lessons. They each got a little certificate saying they had finished and listing the skills they had mastered. When Jeff got home from school, I called them in very ceremoniously and let them present their certificate to their daddy and read off all the achievements. They were so excited that they were actually nervous... It was so sweet to watch them show daddy what they had done. It was just a really GOOD time.

This weekend we went up to Great-Papa's for a multi-birthday party. Great-Papa (Jeff's grandfather), Little Grandma (Jeff's mom), cousin Seth, and second cousin Sophia all have their birthdays within a week of each other. It was so nice to see some of the Aunts, Uncles, and cousins that we haven't seen for a while, and the kids were so excited to see their baby cousin. I ended up having the opportunity to teach one of the teenage cousins how to knit. I love sharing my favorite things with other people and this time was particularly fun because she caught on SO quickly. I don't think I've every shown anyone who picked it up so fast. It was very rewarding to share this craft that is such a big part of my life with the "young generation." It was GOOD.

I think that I often get so caught up in the frustrations of everyday. like laundry, or dishes. auugh. it doesn't matter how many loads of clothes or dishes we do... there are ALWAYS more dirty sitting there waiting. That is truly one of the most frustrating things for me. I need to make sure that I pay equal emotional attention to the good things. It's easy to be grateful for huge "good days" like vacations, I need to make sure that I am recognizing the small good days, or even harder, the good moments in a not-so-great day.

The value of a SAHM / Frugal tips

So I envision this becoming very long and maybe it's not the very best forum for what I would like to do, but it's what I've got so let's make it work. I STRONGLY desire feedback... this post will be useless without it! So your thoughts, your best tips, or links to your favorite blogs and sites are all most welcome.

Again we revisit the topic of being a SAHM (stay at home mom); specifically, in this time of so much financial upheaval, with so many people losing their jobs, is it really worthwhile to try and keep one potential wage earner at home?

First of all, this isn't to knock any mom who IS in the outside workforce, nor to suggest that she isn't being a good mommy if she is. My own mom (who is fabulous!) spent lots of time working due to our circumstances. I myself was a working mom for a few years- not really by choice, but making that sacrifice did enable Jeff to finish his education and get a good job that lets me stay home for the long run.

What I'd really like to focus on is how being a stay at home mom can actually be a financial plus for the family.

The first obvious benefit is that of not having to pay daycare or babysitting costs. Unless you have a super duper paying job, you will end up paying a big % of your income out for childcare.
Transportation cost- how much will it cost to get a second vehicle or even just gas and maintain the family's main vehicle to use it for your commute?
Wardrobe- Will you have extra wardrobe expenses to buy appropriate clothing for working outside the home.
Taxes- will the extra income put you at a disadvantage in income tax? Remember you don't get taxed on money you SAVE, only on money you earn! So learning how to SAVE $75 on your expenses is more valuable financially than is earning $75.
Psychological benefits- I know that it is hard (especially in our society when we are being told constantly that if we aren't earning then we aren't contributing) to "sit at home" when your husband is carrying the full load of providing on his own shoulders, but you need to consider what the extra stress of even a partime job will be on the family. Most of the time, even if both parents work, the mom is still the major worker at home. It just sort of happens this way. What happens is that we get a job to help our husband out, and end up being so stressed and overtired that he gets a grouchy wife. Mommy is the heart of the home. If Mommy is having a bad life, then so is everyone else. Regardless of the bon-bon rumor, most moms I know already have a full plate so adding more to it in the form of an outside job is really not good for the tone of the household.

So...what kind of things can we do to actively contribute to the financial success of the household? This is where you come in... I need your tips. Even if you think that everyone already knows it, post it. And as you read everyone else's tips, keep an open mind... not every tip will work for every household, but some of them might be just what you need.

I'll start.
We don't pay for TV (like cable or anything like that) we have a few shows we watch and we watch them online. You can watch Fox, NBC, ABC, CBS, etc online, also HULU.com is free and has many TV shows and even some movies for free.
Netflix is not free, but if you add in the availability of all the "watch instantly" movies available online, it may work out to be much less expensive than renting from a movie store.

We don't have cell phones. Well, we DO have cell phones, but not a plan. We get prepaid minutes from Tracfone to use for trips. Yes, the airtime does expire eventually, but paying $20 every 4-6 months to renew the phone number and get more airtime is far cheaper than any monthly plan we have ever found. Also, I never just buy it, I always search for coupon codes and get lots of free minutes.

Speaking of, coupon codes. If you are buying online, ALWAYS search for coupon codes first. I almost always at least get free shipping, if not a % off. just type in the company you are ordering from and "coupon code" in the search engine and stuff comes up. the sites are coupon cabin, retail me not, coupon codes and a bunch more.

Ebay is only a good deal SOMETIMES. I did get several super deals for Christmas gifts (a $100+ Thomas Train set for $35 including shipping) but I have also many times seen things go way too high, like within $2 of retail price plus shipping, so make sure you shop around first, especially for books, try half.com first.


For about $35 plus supplies, you can take Wilton Cake decorating classes at your local craft supply store. By the time you finish level 1, you can definitely start doing kids birthday cakes for yourself and friends, by the time you do level 2, you (with practice!) should be able to start selling them. I am out of practice now, but when I only had Joey and Jessi, I was getting orders probably once a month for birthday and baby shower cakes, mostly from church. It's not a ton of money, but it helps.

I cloth diaper. There is some question about the cost of extra laundry, but in our experience, buying disposable diapers does cost more, at least for us.

Buying bulk is a good idea sometimes. I can buy a huge bag of pancake mix from Sams for far less than buying JIffy at the grocery store. I know there are plenty of recipes out there to make your own baking mix, but the huge bags of Krusteez brand at Sams is about the same as buying all the ingredients and mixing it myself.

We recently discovered that our produce market has FAR better quality beef than the grocery store does, and for much less $.

For our family, the biggest enemy of staying on grocery budget is not having dinner ready and thus "having" to buy convenience food or go out to eat. My biggest defense against that is having a stock of freezer meals on hand. Yes, we have a plan, but to be frank, I don't stay on plan really well. I've blogged before about doing up bulk freezer meals so I won't do it again, but it REALLY helps prevent those don't-have-anything-for-supper burger and pizza runs.

We do like eating out every so often, and for us, the most frugal way to accomplish this is our local Chinese take-out place. Guess what... I can make white rice here for pennies... and ask them to substitute the rice for another side dish.

I also want to mention the option of bartering. As a society, we don't generally think of this, but it really does work. I was able to do a LOT of bartering this past year for Christmas gifts. Also, think about bartering or trading services such as babysitting. I used to clean in exchange for chiropractic treatments.

Please use the comment section to add your own best hints and links! Share ideas for cheap dates, cheap or free entertainment, and of course, how to lower household bills.
Thanks!