What doesn't kill you...

I spent way too much money on frivolous stuff last month. Gotta put a stop on that (yeah, right!).

- Washer and dryer (not frivolous, but was a REQUIREMENT)
- Oreck Orbital cleaner
- Five pair of pants from the warehouse sale at Tall Etc.
- Four shirts from a sale at Fashion Bug
- Leopard print skins for my iPod and cell phone
- Three Soduko books and one Tae Kwon Do book from Amazon.com
- A drinking resevoir for the geckos
- A pair of padded panties (YES! Fake booty!!!!) and a bra from Figleaf.com
- Lots of school clothes for the kids who already have too many clothes
- A new vibrating heating pad for my back on bad days
- A laptop desk where 3/4 of it tilts, and it slides under your chair to come across your chest
- Indoor/outdoor carpet for our patio
- Boogie boards for the kids

I can think of reasons NOT to have bought every single one of those things.

Oh well, at least all of my bills are paid and I'll have plenty of money for whatever trip georgiaskydiver and I end up taking next month.

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BTW - the stomach bug has left the building. YAY! I am SO HUNGRY though. I haven't eaten anything in two days except for small amounts of oatmeal and water. I actually lost 5 pounds in two days (water weight, no doubt). If it didn't make you so miserable, it would be a good diet.

I tend to get mired down in the day-to-day details, and bitch the loudest when things aren't going right. I thought it was time for a life-check and to remind myself that life really is good, and all of the small inconveniences are short-lived.

- I have a great husband, who loves me and I love him.
- I have two wonderful kids, who are mostly healthy, very bright, handsome and well-behaved (much of the time)
- We have two jobs, and I really love mine, that pay well and allow us flexible hours and work from home status.
- When I set my mind to something, I can accomplish it.
- I have a wonderful group of friends, both near to me and near in heart.
- While I do carry debt, I have the means to, should I need to, wipe all of that out and still be in a good position.
- We own wonderful pets, especially two amazing dogs, who we love very much.
- I still enjoy life.

Whiny daily issues always seem to be at the front, but there is a SOLID good base there, and it keeps me strong and growing.

Someone wrote this in the geekparents community, and I thought it was well said:

We do not stop playing when we grow up. We grow up because we stop playing.

We need to stop and play more! Damn what other people think.

- If you have recently burned yourself so bad that you are peeling, do not apply self-tanner, no matter HOW MUCH you exfoliate beforehand. It will only end up looking spotty by the end of the day.

- You pick up more than you realize, even if you aren't participating. The boys and I have been taking classes where there are many different levels in Tae Kwon Do. The instructors try to make the classes interesting for all. The boys and I missed two weeks of class, went last week, and assumed that we would be left out of the pre-test tonight. WRONG. The instructor didn't know we had missed that much, and tested us anyway, and all three of us actually knew the things we needed for the orange stripe on our yellow belt. That means we are approved for the actual test next week. Wow - that could mean orange belt next month.

- If you are coming off of a two-day stomach bug, do NOT decide to get a BK Stacker from Burger King. No matter how good it looks and smells. Your stomach will blow up like a damn balloon and it will hurt.

- Oh, and if you are going to committ to a sport, find out how much it actually costs in the long-run before starting. I just didn't think of how much Tae Kwon Do would cost as we started progressing. There are the monthly class fees, which aren't that much (except that they are for THREE people). There are the belt and stripe tests. Kids grow out of their uniforms, so you have to buy new gi. Now, since we are approaching yellow belt, we have to get sparring gear. TIMES THREE! Looking in this catalog, that's over $100 each. I'm about to hit eBay, and tomorrow I'm calling the used sports equipment places. I'll be damned if I'm paying $100 for sparring gear for a 5-year-old (two of them) that will just need new ones next year.

Did anyone see the really twisted opening dance they did tonight?

Strange. Somewhat interesting.