Professional Blogging Roundup: May 30, 2008

May is just about over. On to June! Here are some of my professional blogging posts from the past week:

1. What are ETFs? Find out on the Banks.com Investing Blog.
2. Instead of doing something about it, why don't you just pray for lower gas prices?
3. Restriction of HELOCs means fewer Americans are spending money on huge projects.
4. This one really got me: Foreclosures are starting to really weigh on military service members.
   

Tags: foreclosures, HELOCs, gas prices, ETFs,
professional blogging, blogging

Too Poor for the Class Trip? You Don't Deserve an Education.

Sometimes, home school really is best.

I recently learned about a mother in Indiana who kept her children home from school for a few days when they couldn't go on a class trip. A few kids couldn't afford a trip to D.C., and when the mother found out they were doing word searches and Sudoku all day, instead of something educational and stimulating like the kids in D.C., she notified the school that they would be staying home with her.

And why not? Finals were over, and the school wasn't educating them. Why should her kids be "punished for being poor" (as Tris Hussey points out)?

Well they were. Because the absences were "unexcused," the kids got detention. The mother is going to serve it with them, since she feels bad that the kids are being punished for her decision.

That. Is. Awesome.

The school and school district holding the kids' grades hostage until the detention is served?

Not so much.

Tags: home school, class trip, education, education America

Home Is Where The Heart Is...And Mom And Children, Too

We learned a new song in primary this week. I was not impressed. It's called "Home," I think.

"Home is where the father is/with strength and wisdom true." Great.

Then: "Home is where the mother is/and all the children too." Um, okay.

I was a little annoyed. We couldn't even get something for moms along the lines of "loving guidance" or even "sweet spirit."

I know my main "job" is being mom. But the ability to have children is not the only thing that defines me. Perhaps I'm being a bit sensitive, but I feel as though the song sends the message that while dads have other qualities, moms are pretty much just "there."

Tags: primary songs, home, LDS

Are You Grateful on This Memorial Day?

If you know someone -- or just see someone -- who has been (or is) in the Armed Services, don't forget to express your gratitude today!

Even if you don't agree with the current war, you should be able to agree that the brave men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces make tremendous sacrifices for us and ought to be honored.

Today, Memorial Day, as I honor family members who fought in past wars, I also would like to thank my husband's cousin, especially. He's on his way to Iraq. For the third time.

May God go with you, and keep you safe.

Professional Blogging Round-Up: May 23, 2008

Here you are for this week. Have a great extended weekend, all you U.S. people!

1. Even when they are married, they still don't get the same rights as heterosexuals! Gay partners and a spousal IRA.
2. Can you do hip-hop music without profanity? They're sure trying today in NYC...
3. What will help your investment portfolio? 7 investment to try.
4. Nothing like a good rant about Big Oil.
   

Bonus: Another guest post over at My Two Dollars.

Tags: gay partners, gay marriage, spousal IRA, investments,
professional blogging, hip-hop, dollars

Mormons Should Have Tried Harder for David Archuleta?

If every Mormon listed on the rolls of the LDS Church in the U.S. had just put in three extra votes in American Idol, David Archuleta would have won.

I didn't do my part. I haven't been watching A.I. since the audition episodes ended.

But I was greeted by story this morning from Yahoo! News:

Mouths dropped, eyes widened and several teenage girls hugged and cried when host Ryan Seacrest announced that the "Idol" crown went to: "David," followed by a long pause, "Cook!"

"Did you feel that?" said Skippy Jessop, 30, his homemade sign now headed for the trash bin. "It felt like a punch in the gut. We all just stood there with our mouths hanging open." ...

Trisha Webber's sign boasted 602 text-message votes for Archuleta — all of them sent during Tuesday night's final showdown. ...

"Everyone in that stadium needed to vote 1,000 more times," the legal assistant said. "It hurts."

3,000 people were at EnergySolutions Arena (and thousands more gathered together in various places around the state) to hear the announcement that David Archuleta had won. And had their faith shaken.

How could he have not won? Is it an evangelical conspiracy? Why can't a Mormon win in a popularity contest? (You remember Mitt Romney's presidential bid.) If we up our missionary efforts can we swing more votes next time?

In the end, I guess it's proof that God has more important things to worry about.

Tags: David Archuleta, American Idol, Mormon Idol, Mitt Romney,
Mormons Archuleta

Fence Posts for Our Back Dirt

The guy that's supposed to be putting in our fence postss is six hours late (he was supposed to be here at 8:30). My husband called at nine this morning, only to be told that

1. The guy was just going to mark where the fences posts will go, and
2. He would be here in "a couple of hours."

My husband called again, more than "a couple of hours" later, only to be told that the guy would be here around 12:30ish and that he needed to be patient.

It's 2:30.

We're not impressed. We're seriously annoyed. Josh took today off work to be here (as the guy recommended). We made this appointment a month ago. We're paying money for this.

Maybe we should pay someone else...

Shameless Self-Promotion: Extra Shameless Edition

Here are some of my posts from this week:

1. A look at some ideas for your economic stimulus tax rebate check at the Personal Finance Corner.
2. On the Banks.com Money & Investing blog, I explore what kind of investor Barack Obama is.
3. At LoanShak I take a look at the mortgage lenders that are hiring forensic experts to figure out what went wrong with their subprime mortgage lending.

But that's not all! I did some guest posting this week as well:

1. I write about paying off student loans on Generation X Finance.
2. On Moolanomy, I break down the differences between a budget mentality and a net worth mentality.
3. Continuing with the debt theme, I write about making paying down debt a priority on Being Frugal.
   

Tags: paying down debt, student loans, Barack Obama, budget,
economic stimulus tax rebate, subprime mortgage, professional blogging

Birthday Parties and Green Waste

Gavin was invited to a birthday party for the first time this weekend. This is very exciting for all of us.

Unfortunately, we are going to be out of town.

This is a bummer, since I was looking forward to Gavin enjoying this "rite of passage" for children. Since we don't socialize much in general, I don't expect that another invitation will be coming any time soon. Oh well. Gavin is still excited, and the thoughtful little guy thinks we should head out and buy a present for the birthday boy anyway. So we probably will.

In other news, we started pulling up the weeds in our back dirt in order to get it ready for putting in an actual lawn. The joy. We have several piles of weeds scattered about the property, each bigger than the last. And yet there are endless weeds to pull.

I called for a green waste bin. It will take them a week and half to get it here. They can't just drive it over sooner? Are there that few people in CV that want green waste bins that it takes so long for it to be efficient to drop them off?

As a WAHM, What's My Schedule

I've had a few people ask me what my daily schedule is as a professional blogging WAHM. Here you are. Keep in mind, though, that it's approximate. If there's anything any mom knows, the schedule almost always needs to be tweaked. Or thrown out completely.

Sometime between 5:30 and 6:00 am: Drag myself out of bed and head downstairs (in P.J.s) to the office. Sun Salutation to get me going, start looking at email and the news reader.

6:00 - 7:30: Working. Reading other blogs and news readers. Writing blog posts for corporate clients. In the meantime, Gavin gets up and gets himself dressed.

7:30 - 8:00: Get Gavin breakfast and get me ready for the day.

8:00 - 8:45: Try to cram in a post or two before leaving (8:15) to take Gavin to preschool and Josh to work. Take my boys to where they need to be and come back home.

8:45 - 11:15: Come back, get a glass of juice and a Fiber One bar for breakfast. Work, work, work on blogs and other freelance writing assignments until its time to pick Gavin up.

11:15 - 12:45 pm: Get Gavin. This time is used for running errands. Talk to Gavin about what he learned and did preschool. If I don't have errands, we come back and I do a little work (or social media stuff) while Gavin plays.

12:45 - 1:30: Lunch time!

1:30 - 2:15 or so: Gavin has quiet time, contemplating life or looking at books or even napping in his room. I work on what freelance writing project most urgently needs my attention.

2:15 or so - 5:15: Gavin and I play, read, do workbook and/or (now that the weather's nice) go outside.

5:15 - 6:30: Pick Josh up at the bus stop and come back. Get dinner together and eat.

6:30 - 7:00: Unwind and relax as a family.

7:00 - 7:20: Gavin gets ready for bed, family scripture study, bed time for Gavin.

7:20 - 8:00: Exercise time.

8:00 - 10:30 or so: Shower and then spend time with Josh until I fall into bed.

Why Do They Want to Take Away My Birth Control?

Over at Babylune, Eliza posted on a petition being sent around by an advocacy group. This petition involves trying to get Johnson & Johnson to ban the Ortho Evra birth control patch. I am bothered by this. Mainly because I use the patch. And I love it.

I'm reminded of that episode of Seinfeld when they are discontinuing "the sponge" and Elaine goes all over town to stock up on her birth control product of choice before it disappears forever. She explains to the ignorant males that women are extremely loyal to their methods of birth control. Of course, I can't stock up on Ortho Evra because it is a "drug" that I need prescription for. I can only get it once a month. No ability build up.

I don't like the pill. I've been on the pill. The hormone level messed with me (maybe I need more estrogen -- I don't know). With the patch, I change it once a week. I still have to remember to do it, but it doesn't turn into an annoying daily ritual. And I am seriously opposed to the new implants they have. Sticking something into your body like that? Under your skin? While others love it, it totally creeps me out.

The patch is what works for me. I like it. It fits my lifestyle. It may not fit yours, but don't try to take it away from me. I am loyal to my form of birth control, but I would never try to ban someone else's form of birth control.

One of the issues is the fact that Ortho Evra puts a variable amount of estrogen into the system, and some women absorb it more than others. Some say that the 60 percent more estrogen that some women are exposed to on the patch is more than those on the pill. So, maybe the patch does have higher risks for some women. (Tests show that out of every 10,000 who use the patch for a year, 4 or 5 have a blood clot.)

But to ban it? The key is to talk to your doctor if you are on the patch so that you can see what your risks are. For me, there hasn't been a problem in the nearly five years I have worn the patch.


Tags: birth control, birth control patch, Ortho Evra, the pill,
birth control implants

Professional Blogging Roundup: May 9, 2008

It's been an interesting week in personal finances. Here you go:

1. John McCain and Hillary Clinton are both for a gas tax holiday. On Yielding Wealth, I explain why it would be basically useless.
2. Toyota overtook GM in global auto sales. How you can apply the Toyota philosophy to your own personal finances.
3. Before you buy a home, make sure you can make your mortgage payment.
   

Tags: professional blogging, gas tax holiday, personal finances, mortgage payment

Could We Get a Parking Structure in Logan?

Next Tuesday (April 13) the Logan city council is going to vote on the park strip issue. Of course, the city wants room for parking for the public. But people who live in the houses need places for their cars as well.

But what about building a parking structure in downtown Logan? There are public lots in the downtown area that would allow for building a parking structure. And, as my visiting teaching companion pointed out (yes, we're solving city infrastructure problems while visiting teaching), it is possible to make less eye-sore parking structures by adding brick facade and other embellishments.

Downtown parking is an issue in Logan, and maybe a parking structure would help. Especially since the valley is expected to see more growth. If there's going to be a vibrant downtown, either the public transportation needs to be taken up a notch or two (downtown shuttle?) or more parking needs to be arranged. Or both.

What a parking structure wouldn't help, though, are those who are abusing park strips by leaving undrivable cars sitting out in the front. Perhaps something should be done about that?

What do you think about the park strip issue in Logan?

Tags: park strip Logan, living in Logan, park strip issue, parking structure Logan,
downtown Logan, downtown parking Logan, parking Logan Utah

Fun With Presidential Candidates

Loved this fun video of "Fold US Candidate": Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain get down.

On Being Sick as a Mom

My grandmother once said to me "Men don't like women to be sick. You just have to keep doing what you're supposed to be doing." She also made sure that I understood that when a man was sick, he wanted to be taken care of. I thought it was Outrageous! that such an attitude could prevail today. And certainly not in my relationships. (I was unmarried at the time, with Grandma despairing of my ever accepting a proposal.)

But, as I discovered Wednesday and yesterday, she's still sort of right. Josh certainly doesn't like me to be sick, but after he got back from school (I still had to drive over and pick him up), he took care of Gavin, dinner (well, he does that most nights), dishes and general straightening up. So that was nice. But he was gone all day, and that meant I still had to do what I had to do.

Gavin had school and I had to do some work. Sure, I did the absolute minimum, but something still had to be done. When you work for yourself, you can't just call in sick. And, of course, while Josh was at school I needed to take care of Gavin. So, really, true rest and getting better didn't come until after Gavin was in bed, and I could stop being a mom.