Works For Me Wednesday: Kids and Money

By MAD21

My parents were not good at teaching me the value of money growing up. I received an allowance starting around 9 or 10, but it was usually spent before the day I received it was over. I didn't learn to save until I was well into adulthood.

Things didn't change much once I was older and had a job. I was working by age 16 and my paychecks disappeared just as fast as the allowance I received when I was younger. Even once I was living on my own, I was living paycheck-to-paycheck, not saving a penny.

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Life Is Funny: Silly Words

By MAD21

There were several of us on Twitter Friday afternoon who were laughing at the words people make up. Our friend Kathy (@katdish) and Wendy (@weightwhat) are among those who are famous for the hilarious words that get used every now and then. Words like: confuzzled, snort-larfing, smirk, shrewt, and murve are among those that get used at any particular time.

I'm not really good at coming up with random made up words to express how I feel or what I'm thinking with the exception of perhaps: GAA!!; Snicker; or Snort. Not all that impressive a list, eh? But during Friday's conversation, it got me to thinking of all the awesome words my youngest (who is four today) has used in her attempts to talk over the last few years.

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Works For Me Wednesday: Pennies For 'Lions

By MAD21

One of the things about being a parent that I enjoy a lot is creating traditions. I didn't have many growing up, but there were a few things that we did that meant a lot to me. Personally, I think it's important to have family traditions. They bring us closer together and create life-long memories.

I don't know how kids are in other families, but ours are always asking for a job when we are working in the yard or flowerbeds. Since they are so little, there isn't a whole lot that they can do independently other than pick up sticks and rocks... and dandelions.

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Jellybeans With Purpose

By MAD21

He is risen!

We pray that everyone had a wonderful Easter! Our family had an amazing weekend celebrating one of our favorite holidays. We love the opportunity to come together as a community and remember what Christ sacrificed for us, and celebrate him defying all human understanding by rising from the darkness of death.

Our girls are old enough that they are now seeking to understand what this holiday means (as much as they can at six and almost four). They are beginning to realize that this day is about more than Easter dresses, egg hunts, and baskets full of goodies. We can still have fun with all of that, but now they are assigning meaning to things.

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Fingerprint Friday: Time With My Children

By MAD21

I am so blessed to be able to stay home with my kids. I love every minute of it. Yes, we have bad days just like everyone else, but I'm glad to have those, too. I'm glad that I am the one who gets to see most of the "firsts," go to the playground whenever we can get it into the schedule, and I get to be a major influence in their little lives and not another caregiver (not sure if that's always a good thing for them!).

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