Dave Ramesy's Thoughts on the Bail-Out

I got this today from Dave Ramsey. You can go to daveramsey.com to find out more about him. This is the email that I got today. Pass it on.


3 Steps to Change the Nations Future
We are at a crucial time in our country's financial history. Congress defeated the $700 billion bailout plan on Monday. However, they are revising it and trying to push it through again. I'm supporting an alternative plan that will keep our nation from going even deeper in debt, and I've been on TV and radio all week telling people about it.

We need everyone's help!
3 Steps to Change the Nation's Future

Follow the instructions below. Together we can change history.
1.Pray For Your Leaders

Pray for them to resist a spirit of FEAR and to embrace WISDOM. Even if you don't like them or agree with them, pray for them and tell them you are praying for them. There is a spirit over this problem that must be broken. Also, most of the media personalities are afraid as well and that is affecting their reporting. Pray for fear to be removed from them; they are making this worse.
Send the Common Sense Fix

2.Send The Common Sense Fix to your Representatives and Senators and tell them how you expect them to vote, and that if they put this nation in $700 billion of debt, that you will vote them out. It's their job to listen to us! (Whichever presidential candidate or political party that champions this plan from their leadership down will likely become the next president. That is because this plan fixes the crisis while going along with the wishes of the vast majority of Americans.)

1. First, read this page (PDF) (go to http://www.daveramsey.com/media/pdf/the_common_sense_fix.pdf to read it)
2. Next, copy the info on this page (text file) (go to http://www.daveramsey.com/common_sense_fix.txt to get this)
3. Send it to your Senators and representatives by copying and pasting the text in the web form you're sent to.

*Note: If their websites are down, that means we're making a difference! Keep refreshing the page until you get through. You can also go through Congress.org, though we don't endorse this site.
Tell Others

3. Forward this email to everyone in your address book and tell them to urgently follow these 3 steps TODAY. The more people we have supporting this and contacting their elected leaders, the more likely we can turn our economy around!


I don't know about you but this burns me up to think our tax money is going to be used for this. Seriously, they are not helping me while I am paying outrageously for gas, nor are they helping to pay my electric bill when it becomes due. Everyone I know is struggling. Where is OUR bail out!! Small business are going belly-up all over...what about them?!?! I feel this is the rich looking out for the rich. I think our country was so greedy the last few years...all you heard about was more-More-MORE!! People were not happy with what they had, they had to have more. And these companies had no problem 3 years ago handing out mortgages and raking in the money. But then the companies became greedy. What did they do, they raised millions of interest rates. And slowly it all came crumbling down. I know first hand how it worked, but that is for another day (all I will say is there is only so much a person can take).

Going Down for the Count

There are 7 of us in our family---Chris, me and 5 kids. By all accounts we are considered a "large" family. Maybe not by homeschool standards (I would consider us average) but for the "typical american family" yes. Well one thing large families like to share with each other....GERMS!! Here's the run down: CJ and Zachary both went to the doctor today because their asthma was acting up. We found out they both have ear infections. Alex has a low grade fever and a cough (he has never been diagnosed with asthma). Jessie doesn't have a fever yet but her temp is on its way up. Chris feels awful. His whole body hurts, fatigue, headache no fever. Emily has a runny nose and myself...well my throat hurts, fatigue, chest and back hurt especially when I cough and my glands are a little swollen. Didn't these germs know that Mom's aren't suppose to get sick. I have to stay strong to take care of everyone else. I will NOT go down without a fight!!

So please pray for our family. BTW, we still have our vistors and I couldn't imagine them getting sick on top of this. Thanks.

Surprise : )

Don't you just love surprises! Last week I was having an awful day. Which seems to be happening alot lately. I just haven't been able to get into the homeschool grove yet this year. Anyway, my oldest son had an away football game. To give me a break my husband decided to take our two other boys to it while I stayed home with the two girls. This was a nice break. I did enjoy spending some time with just the girls. When Chris and the boys came home I was outside going for a walk with the girls. They were so happy to see their daddy (and so was I). Chris told me he needed to talk to me about something that was wrong in his car. He had me sit in the driver seat. Well, there was nothing wrong with his car...instead there was a bag from the UGG store! He went and bought me a pair of UGGS (they are boots from Australia). I couldn't believe it! The past 2 winters I have said I wanted to get a pair. But each time I finally decide to get them they were sold out until spring (yes, always a 4-5 month back-order). I mentioned wanting to get them this year before winter. I have Raynaud's syndrome and thought they would help with keeping my feet warm (I already wear special socks because of it). Hubby knows me well enough to know that I probably wouldn't have gone out and spent that kind of money on myself. I would have had an anxiety attack all the way to the register. I still felt guilty after getting them. I can think of a ton of things to do with the money instead of spend it on me. I do love them. And since what is done is done I am going to enjoy them. What a surprise : )

In Other News...

In other news, SIL and kids are still with us. Tomorrow makes 2 weeks. Oh boy, it has been an interesting 2 weeks. While still trying to walk in compassion, tough love is having to be used along with house rules. I was wearing myself out and feeling like the not-so-merry-maid. I was doing all the cleaning, laundry, cooking and childcare while she talked on the phone, texted, went on the computer, layed on the couch, or watched t.v.. I understand that she works from 8-3 at a daycare but I work too. I just don't get a paycheck...I get payed in hugs and kisses instead : )

So now she is doing her own laundry, I don't unlock the t.v. until the kids are ready for bed, and Chris talked to her about helping clean up after a meal. It is a start. If I could, I would take her cell phone and throw it out the window! She is always on it....and I do mean ALWAYS!! And she isn't always appropriate with her conversations. While I know hospitality should be important, my priority is protecting my children from behaviors and conversations they should not be a part of. In fact, my darling nephew went and got suspended from school yesterday for getting into a fist fight. When they got home I told both SIL and nephew that this is not acceptable behavior in this house and she will have to make arrangement for his missed day from school because I was not a babysitting service. I have been having a hard time getting back into the swing of things this year. I couldn't have him here as an add distraction. Some might think this was mean of me. I call it tough love. This isn't the first time he has gotten suspended from school or camp. This is an ongoing problem.

Chris brought her around yesterday to different places to find a place to live and see if there was any help out there for her. There are a few prospects. Since she has very limited resources, we are trying to convince her that the priority is getting an apartment before a car. Since she will be living in the city, there are public transportation options. She can look into getting a car when she does her taxes in February. She can NOT wait until February to get an apartment. We have to be very specific and clear when talking with her. Boundaries.

The Amazing Emily

Emily is really coming out her shell lately. She is down right becoming a social butterfly! I love it!! Yesterday Chris dropped her off to me at co-op. He brought his sister to all the places she should have gone to 2 weeks ago when her boyfriend broke up with her. But this is not about her...it's about Emily so back to her. Emily at first was a little shy (which is expected when she is around others). She was in her stroller and I brought her into Chemistry class with me. She stayed in the stroller for about 10 minutes. I let her out and she played with her toys and walked around the room. She did cry once when one of the girls in the class said no to her (she cries whenever she hears the no word. I think it is the tone it is said in and not the word itself).

After class we headed upstairs to big fellowship room. Classes were still going on so she had to play quietly until they ended. But once they ended she was off and running. Chris came back to have lunch with us. We were BOTH in shock at how much she was interacting with everyone. Just a few months ago I went to my friend Wendy's house and Emily wouldn't leave my side. Imagine our shock when Emily was walking around yesterday hugging kids, talking (baby talk) to babies in stollers and running with the other toddlers. IT WAS AMAZING!! God has been doing such a great work in her. In fact, on Tuesday the social worker came over for her monthly visit. She kept telling us how she couldn't believe the difference in Emily. Emily was going over to her with toys, sitting next to her, singing to herself...she was being the Emily we get to enjoy on a daily basis but seems to go into hiding when others come around. I can't tell you how much it warms my heart to see her like this.

Talking about the social worker visit, we turned in (finally) the paperwork for the finalization of the adoption. The SW now does her thing. National Adoption Day is in November. We decided against doing it on this day. Instead we are looking to finalize in December, which just happens to be when Emily's birthday is. So guess what! We are trying to get her birthday as the finalization day. Wouldn't that be awesome! To actually adopt her on her 2nd birthday!! I can't wait!! I was sitting with her at breakfast today...just the two of us and I couldn't stop looking at her little hands. Have you ever watched a toddler's hands? They are amazing! The way they hold objects and move...oh I could have sat there longer looking at them.

Okay, just one more story...this cracked me up this morning. CJ wasn't feeling good and was laying on the couch with the tissue box on the floor. Emily went over to the box, grabbed a tissue and started (fake) coughing and wiping her nose with the tissue. It was just too cute. My little actress was going for an Oscar.

CJ Football

Just wanted to tell everyone that CJ is having his first start Monday as the JV quaterback. YEAH!!!! He will be the backup for Varsity this week!!! I am very proud of him. Not just because of his atheltic ablity, but because he actually uses this time at football as a time to witness to the team. He is know as the "really religious kid who doesn't date". AND HE IS PROUD OF THAT!!! It is wild as a mother to watch your son be so on fire for God and isn't afraid to let other know it. He will share with anyone who wants to know. He will answer any question they have (and boy do they have questions). He is being an example of the gospel to these kids.

Love ya CJ!!

Sleep

What a wonderful thing!! You don't realize how important it really is to your overall health and well being until you are deprived of it. I had gone over 2 weeks sleeping awful. One of "things" about fibromyalgia is people who have it can't get into or stay in the 4th level of sleep. It is during this deep sleep stage that your body does its job of healing and resting. With fibro patients, your brain activity is that of a person who is awake. Therefore, you never truly rest. It was awful. I would wake up just as tired as when I went to bed. I was wiped, bags under my eyes, a short fuse for patience, and by 8 a.m. I was wishing I could just crawl back into bed. Twice during that time I did take a nap in early afternoon just to make it through the rest of the day.

Sunday I went back on a medication that the doctor prescribed. It doesn't make me fall asleep but rather aides in helping me stay in the 4th level. Oh what a difference!!! I am no longer tired through the day, my body is in minimal pain and the short fuse...well that one is hard to say right now. With added house guests it is being put to the test right now. Sometime I pass...other times I fail--miserably.

Happy Birthday My Love!!

Happy Birthday to the Love of My Life----My husband Chris!!
36 today. It is hard to believe that I have known him since we were 14. Isn't that unbelievable!

Compassion

com·pas·sion [kəm pásh'n]
n. sympathy: sympathy for the suffering of others, often including a desire to help


I am going through a good exercise right now on using compassion. My Sister-In-Law (SIL) and her 2 boys will be staying with us through the end of this week. Her live in boyfriend of the last 14 months broke up with her Wednesday to go back to an ex-girlfriend. SIL is devastated to say the least. He did say that she could stay at the apartment until she moves into her own(which is upstairs from his mother?). She is hurting. And as much as she and her 2 boys drive me CRAZY I felt it was the right thing to do bringing her here. It gets her away from the situation and helps her to think straight. She is thinking out emotions right now.

Compassion....I don't know about you but I know for myself that it is sometimes...no alot of times, easier to show it to a stranger than a family member. I think it is the "baggage" we bring along with it. With a stranger, you are just dealing with the here and now. With family you know this person, all the things that drive you nuts, the mistakes they have made (and NOT learned from) and you think to yourself--here we go again.

But could you image what it would be like if God did that to us!!! How many times have we messed up and we don't deserve the grace, mercy and compassion but God gives it to us. Image if He was up there saying-- Again? You messed up Again? A friend of mine put it so nicely to me yesterday "Judy, you are her Bible right now. She is seeing the Bible through you. She is seeing God through you." How true! What would it saying about me and about being a Christian if I were to turn my back on her right now.

Yesterday I brought her boys with me to church (no room in the van for her). After church she ran with me to the grocery store. While out she asked me if her boys behaved in church. I told her they were fine, just a little antsy (which most kids are, especially if they have had limited exposure to it). She told me that she thinks she and the boys will start going with me.


We had a great conversation on "Love" the other day. SIL was saying she asked her boyfriend (now ex) "tell me you don't love me." He said he couldn't. She then asked him "then tell me you are not in love with me." Again nothing from him. This started the conversation. I had to ask....."what is the difference with loving someone and being in love with someone?" She gave me some lame definition that is so common to the culture we live in. I told her love is not an emotion it is a decision you make. Anyone that has been married for any amount of time (almost 17 years here) can tell you that you don't always feel all mushy, lovey-dovey with the person every day! No one would be married if we let our emotions dictate. Love is not always an easy thing (love is patient, love is kind---not always an easy thing to do). Our culture runs on the emotions of love not the commitment of love. Movies today will try to make you think that you can meet someone and by the end of the week be head-over-heals in love with them. NOT!!!! I would lay down my life for my husband (and I know he would for me). Can you say that about someone you met on Monday and it is now Saturday and you "love" them. I think not!! Our culture is "I will love you until someone better comes along or until it no longer feels good". BTW, when I say our culture, I am talking about the American culture in general.

So please keep me in your prayers.

Better, Much Better

Today was a MUCH better day. I lowered some of my expectations, raised the bar on what I will take in regards to disobedience (another words, no talking back and listing the 1st time) and praying throughout the day.

My Mom called me this afternoon to find out how the day went. I told her much better. She said she felt so bad for me last night when she called and found out the day was awful. She said she felt bad because yesterday she told me she was going to spend the day praying for our family and the upcoming year. Her ride to cardio rehab was waiting for her and whisked her out the door for what ended up being the whole day. She didn't get to pray. However, today she did spend the day praying for me, Chris and each child individually (she spent so much to time praying that she didn't realize her friend had been waiting for her in the car for quite some time). I jokingly told her that it was her fault we had such a crummy day yesterday(I WAS kidding).

It makes me feel great to know that I have wonderful prayer warrior in my corner like my mother.

I am off to bed. I have been sleeping so horrible the last week. One of the side effects from fibromyalgia. I took some Benadryl (per order of my doctor) and I am starting to feel sleepy. I am praying that tonight I will FINALLY sleep through the night (or at least wake up less than last night...I believe it was at least 6 times last night).

Interesting...very Interesting.

I have to be honest, I am not one to be huge into politics. Mrs. Palin being on the ticket now has definetly sparked some strong views from the Christian community.
Start it around the 1 minute mark. Interesting food for thought. What do you think? I would love to hear about it. Leave me a comment.

Orientation Day

Yesterday, Sept. 8th was our first day of school. I used it as an orientation day. Last year we got Emily and it was the first time I had ever homeschooled having a baby. I feel like we didn't get done as much as we should. There were other issues besides having a baby. So I spent yesterday laying the groundwork down. I told them new rules, old rules, revived rules. I went over what I expect from them. I spent about 10-15 minutes with each child to come up with goals for the year and then to pray.

The day sounds all nice but it also included me crying 3 separate times. I don't know why I was so emotional yesterday. The first time I started crying my mother had called to wish us a happy first day of school and to let me know that she would be praying for me. That did it for me. I started crying. I think it was more of a release than anything because I had spent the weekend trying to get the house in order to make life easier and I had felt pretty overwhelmed the whole weekend.

The other 2 times I cried I was talking with the kids (I did excuse myself from the room when my eyes started to well up). I have spent so much time praying, getting ready, picking out curriculum and wanting to get the school year off on the right foot that when one of my darling children was argumentative throughout the whole orientation I felt like I didn't want to play anymore. It was like running into a brick wall.

I had to walk away from them and pray. I actually stood in the schoolroom (the kids were upstairs at the kitchen table) praying to God that I was too tired and I didn't feel like having to be the mom right at that time. My eyes then looked around the schoolroom and fixed upon a picture that my swap sister last month sent me. She sent me a beautiful framed picture of an eagle gliding with our school scripture. I then told God that is what I needed.....strength.



I would love to say that the rest of the day was perfect....reality is, it wasn't. But that is okay. I don't know about you but one of the reasons I homeschool is to work on character with my children. The child that gave me a hard time realized (on their own) that they were wrong and asked me for forgiveness. This child is at the age that it should be no big surprise that they are testing the rules and thinking their way is better.

So I am off now to start the first day of academics. I am feeling good. I feel like I can do it.

September 1st---Already.

Today is September 1st and we are NOT starting school today. It's official. We WILL be starting next week on Monday September 8th. I feel like all-of-a-sudden the summer just got away from me. August was a super-fast month. I had so much planned to do around here--wash walls, windows and rugs, organize school room (again), lesson plans, clean out closets, and go through each room (all 13 of them!!). Big list. You know what has been completed---NONE! ZIPPO! ZIP! Saturday I was feeling the stress of trying to get something crossed off my list. It just wasn't happening. Emily had been sick for 2 days with a low grade fever, runny nose and I was up with her alot Friday night into Saturday morning. I don't know what I was thinking...Oh wait, yes I do. I was thinking it was a Saturday, I didn't have to go out anywhere and I would get tons done. Instead I spent Emily's waking hours holding here and her sleeping ours trying to get stuff accomplished. What I should have done was take a nap. Finally around 5:30-6 that night my horns (which I tried to hide all day) were in full view. I was full of the the "poor me's" and I was ready to blow. So you know what I did? I gave myself a time out! I sent myself to my room for the night. It was the best thing I could have done at that time. It stopped me from saying a bunch of things out of tiredness and fustration and it gave me a time to cool down, reflect and regroup.

Yesterday I came to the conclusion that at this point I need to re-evaluate what is the most important things to get done before school starts to make it a smooth year. 1st would be the school room, followed by lesson plans. The kitchen is actually almost done. The only thing left in there is to wash the window and then paint. Maybe I could get that done by next weekend. The boys room is almost done too. I went through ALL their toys (BTW--I have already started telling people not to even think of bringing a toy in this house for Christmas). I got rid of 2 trash bags full of broken stuff! So I would like to finish the boys room this week. The "land of the lost" needs to be done this week too (that would be my room). As far as the rugs go. I am thinking November, right before birthdays and holidays begin, would be a better time to do them.

I am looking forward to school starting back up. It brings routine to our lives. I like the cool-down of fall. Jeans and sweater kind of weather, where the mornings are crisp and a bowl of soup warms you up at night. Next week I will begin Monday Meandering again. I found this to be a great help to organize my week.