Sunday, January 9, 2005

A NEW YEAR IS UPON ME!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Well I finally got some serious rest and took some time off from the journaling...I just needed to get reorganized and rejunvenated after all the holiday craziness.

But now...I have time to readjust and start to make plans and such for the new year. Also my daughter has been out of school since December 22 and just went back to school on the 6th...so I really wanted to spend some fun time with her. All in all everything has been just fine....I think I already mentioned that the car situation has been taken care of...so that is a blessing. The weather as usual in this lovely states changes drastically from one day to the next. One day we are freezing and the next it is 80 and the AC is on. You never know how to dress when you first get up in the morning.

One of my son's has made his move to Tennessee to get settled and start his college career at Crown University. He is going to be studying to become a minister. He is very anxious and a bit nervous and so very ready. It was hard to say good bye because he is no long just a couple of hours away...but I know this a a great move for him.

Slowly but surely I am getting into my crafts and when I am brave enough I just might post some pics of the finished products here...but I am not that brave yet.

Below is just something I wanted to share with all of you...I hope you have a MARVELOUS monday.
PEACE!!!!!

The Cost of Kids & Grandkids

I have repeatedly seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child,
but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way. It
Is nice, really nice!

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from
birth to 18 and came up with $160,140.00 for a middle income family.
Talk about sticker shock!That does not even touch college tuition.

But $160,140 is NOT so bad if you break it down. It translates into
$8,896 a year, $741.38 a month, or $171.08 a week. That is a mere
$24.24 a day! Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice says do not have
children if you want to be "rich." It is just the opposite.

What do your get for your $160,140?

Naming rights,--- First, middle, and last!

Glimpses of God everyday.

Giggles under the covers eve! ry night.

More love than your heart can hold.

Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.

Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.

A hand to hold, usually covered with jam.

A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites, building sand castles,
and skipping down the sidewalk in the pouring rain.

Someone to laugh yourself silly with no matter what the boss said or
how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140, you never have to grow up.

You get to finger-paint, carve pumpkins, play hide-and-seek, catch
lightning bugs, and never stop believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
watching Saturday morning cartoons, going to Disney Land, and wishing
on stars.

You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator
magnets and collect spray painted no! odle wreaths for Christmas,
handprints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward
letters for Father's Day.

For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck.

You get to be a hero just for retrieving a Frisbee off the garage
roof, taking the training wheels off the bike, removing a splinter,
filling a wading pool, coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching
a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat to history to witness the first step, first
word, first bra, first date, and first time behind the wheel. You get
to be immortal.

You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you are
lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren.

You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice,
communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.

In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there with God.

You have all the power to heal a booboo, scare away the monsters under
the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them
forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you,
love without counting the cost.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

WOW Not bad at all. I want some grandkids!!!!!!!!  Now a son moving away is hard. We have weird weather. WE call it ky it will change in five seconds just wait and see. Glad your back it took us all a while to get back to normal this eyar. Is it age????? LOL Lori

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a good deal to me!!

Anonymous said...

I WISH SO MUCH THAT MY KIDS WERE LITTLE AGAIN!!!! I  have been draggin' my butt since Christmas! I  have got to get motivated!!!!!!! You take care Ellie!
CARLENE

Anonymous said...

Glad you updated because I am beginning to worry about you. The good news about the car and your son are just wonderful. I also like the articles you put on your J. They are always inspiring and mind provoking. Glad you're back! XOXO.

Anonymous said...

Glad to see you journal again. :-)  It's important to spend time with your children while you can.  Also, that's impressive about your son going to school to become a minister, you should be very proud of him.  My son today was telling me he was thinking of going to school with the military to become a clergy. :-)

Monica
http://journals.aol.com/sonensmilinmon/SmilinMonsAdventures/