Catching Fireflies July Controlled Spend Thread

[ses]

Sort of been AWOL the past few days. Been putting in hours on the new job. The "doing" of the job is fine, but the computer training program stinks. I am at a "remote location" site with no one to ask the questions I need answered. Am currently waiting for an e-mail or phone call with instructions. I'm not too concerned, the woman training me was having computer problems when she was here yesterday.

I've been avoiding the heat whenever possible lately. Watering my few plants very late at night. I think the tomatoes might survive but between the heat and the grasshoppers I think my bush beans may be a thing of the past. At least we have low humidity with the very high temps. I am not at all sorry to see things move east. I read that some towns are losing their water supply. Wonder what they will do? Is this another example of the long term weather patterns or is this year an anomaly?

[sapphire12]

Evening all -- today was knee surgery. My knee hurts. My doctor prescribed me Vicodin; whoa it is potent. I can't do a thing while taking one of those. On the plus side, I've only had 1 since I left the hospital and I will take 1 before I go to sleep tonight.

SES -- what a bummer about not having someone on site to help you. Good luck.

heat -- heat indexes into the 100s. Actual temp to hit 100 the next 2 to 3 days. Night time temp the high 70s or even 80. High humidity. None of this is ideal, however, I still prefer it to the bitter cold and snow. Everyone take care.

shan -- That's tough. I was thinking about your MIL when I was in pre-op. The myraid of paperwork and questions. All the precautions they take now to enusre they operate on the correct body part. I felt very comfortable with my anethesiologist, though he threw me for a loop when he said, under light sedation I could wake up, but would not be in pain. I slept through it all. Thankfully, I had a nurse who was patient with me in post op. I take my time waking up.

azmom -- good luck with back to school shopping. I read a couple of articles on cnbc that mentioned many parents were going to shop later rather than sooner this year. Some of it is the economy; some is related to older kids waiting to see what their friends have.

[MittenKitten]

back to school: I buy a lot of the school supplies early. In fact looking at my stash I need very little for DS#1 and #2. I bought a backpack on clearance last year for DS#1 and may need to buy a lunch box for him. DS#2's backpack I fixed with hot glue so we will keep using that. As for clothes I tend to buy those as they are needed so I don't plan on buying any of those right now, will keep an eye on clearance. I should spend less then $50 for the two kids, although DS#2 just moved up a size in tennis shoes and DS#1 will need new ones, so with 2 pairs of shoes that may rise it to $90-$100 ish for both boys.

Training for Thor with no air conditioning was brutal but he did well. This heat is just making me feel ill. YUCK.

[sheilaincali]

Back to School- I approach it pretty much the same way that MK does. I have a huge stash of school supplies- notebooks, folders, pens, pencils, etc. It's the odd things that add up for us- one red felt tip pen, 2 black medium point permanent markers, zip drives, etc. Not that bad but it's a pain trying to track those things down because they aren't typical "school supplies".
For clothes- DS isn't the least bit interested in clothes. I pick them up as I find them on clearance. Because we have been losing weight and needing smaller clothes I did get him 4 pairs of pants in May so those are still in great shape (they should still fit him). Other than a few t-shirts and a backpack he is good to go.

I figure I will end up spending $20 on misc. school supplies, $50 on shoes, and maybe like $100-$150 on clothes for him. I will spread it out over the next few weeks.

[muttleynfelix]

ses -I don't think you can say if it is a trend or anomoly based on one year. The weatherman said this morning that as of yesterday we've had 32 days of 90 or higher and we've been averaging for the summer 5 degrees above average. Last year at this time we'd had 20 days of 90 or higher and most of those days were 90 to 92, not high 90s that we've had (average high in July is 91). The "good news" is that they are showing a break in the pattern for us around August 1st.

[shanendoah]

ses: I think your email might of been hacked. I got an obvious spam/virus type email from you this morning!
Ladies- if you have something in your inbox from SES that you were not expecting, DO NOT click on the link. Always better safe than sorry

[Deleted]

Jul 21, 2011 9:19:40 GMT -5 shanendoah said:

ses: I think your email might of been hacked. I got an obvious spam/virus type email from you this morning!
Ladies- if you have something in your inbox from SES that you were not expecting, DO NOT click on the link. Always better safe than sorry

So did I.

[ses]

YES, I'M SURE MY EMAIL GOT HACKED!!!! IT WAS THIS MORNING. I know it was because I havent sent an email since last Friday--just been too busy. I did, however, send out a "do not open" warning a few minutes ago. So sorry you all got hit. This is the first time i have been hijacked in about 4 years--or ever come to think about it.

[startsmart]

Ses- no worries on the virus, I get so much spam it's pretty easy to identify.

Plus, why do spammers peddling 'male enhancement drugs' always use the word "gentlemen" seriously? Is it supposed to be ironic like hookers are "ladies of the night"?

This morning was definitely better, very chill. I am not starting work until 9am since it's my tendency to check email before I even get out of bed in the morning, then I don't actually get my morning routine done. So I go to bed late, sleep until 8ish, slowly wake up and get ready. I have company today so I spent my morning cleaning up and then fed the dogs.

Also letting music blare from my iPad

Harry Potter- finally went to see #8 last night and it was just so good! I love that they make you laugh in the middle of such seriousness. Or should I say Siriusness? Anywho, loved it and taking Mom to see in the next week (I needed to preview so I could explain it to her before we go). Anyone else see it and love it?

[dakota4600]

3 in a row!!! I'm at 10NS, 2CS, 14NEO's. I'm going to try and convince DH to eat at home tomorrow night since we are going out on Saturday. Taking mini-D to see Pooh with another family, then we'll pick up dinner.

Facebook- It is strange in the last 2 weeks I've reconnected with 3 roommates from an intership I did back in 94. One I've been in intermittent contact with since then and she just joined facebook. One was a friend of that person, so I know how she found me. But the third person, must have just typed in my maiden name and I popped up. Strange how things like that happen in groups, now I'll probably get back in touch with a few other people from that time frame. It is kind of fun to actually find out what they are doing now and how things worked out for them.

SES- No worries I didn't click on it either.

Startsmart- I haven't yet, I'm hoping to in the next couple weeks. Should I splurge and see it in 3-D? I just watched #7 this past weekend, rented it through Redbox. I figure by Christmas they will have a box set of 7&8 out so that will be on my Christmas list.

[startsmart]

dakota- I didnt' see it in 3-D so I don't know if it was worth it or not. the fight scenes were gorgeous, as always. The only time I think 3-D or bluray is a real waste is in non-action films. nothing like watching people talking for 2 hours in 3-D; I'd rather go to a coffee shop and people watch there.

[sheilaincali]

Should I admit now that I have NEVER seen a Harry Potter movie or read even so much as a paragraph of one of the books? DS read the first three when he was 8 but didn't much care for them. He has always refused to watch the movies because he feels that movie adaptations aren't true enough to the books.
Although the other day he did say if we "wanted" he would watch the movies with us. Might save that for one of the long months of snowy weather we have waiting for us this winter.

[Deleted]

SES, it was np. It was a common spam/hacker trick. It was easy to identify but I am glad you figured out what caused it. Make sure to change your bank passwords if they are similar to your email password.

[singlemomky]

Sheila - I'm w/you; I haven't read the first page and definitely have not seen any of the movies. Of course I am not a movie-goer and rarely watch movies and cannot tell you the last time I was in a theater.

[shanendoah]

Today will be another spend. I managed to drop my phone in water yesterday and the battery now won't hold a charge. I've ordered a new one from Amazon, and it will hopefully arrive in the next couple of days, but until then, I have no phone.

Harry Potter: I read the first three. The first two are really good, really tight, but you could see by the third where they were stopping editing her. I couldn't bring myself to read any after the 3rd because even good writers need professional editing, and poorly edited books drive me crazy.
I've enjoyed all of the movies, though (have not seen 7b yet). This is partly because they've had to edit them real tightly to fit movie length.
DC, on the other hand, I think her first non "chapter" book was the first Harry Potter. She grew up with the books, and has loved every single one of them. Trying to figure out if we're taking her to 7b before she goes home to WY next week, or if she's trying to wait to see it with her BFF there.

If possible, I will choose to see it in non-3D. 3D will often give me headaches because one of my eyes is so dominant that they don't focus the way the 3D glasses assume your eyes should.

[muttleynfelix]

I haven't read or seen any of the Harry Potter stuff either. Which is pretty funny because I am an avid reader. The movies aren't much of a surprise because I'm not much of a movie person.

[startsmart]

Funny enough I just had someone over to my house who thinks they're of the devil ;D I never read them in high school and college - I only started after the final book came out because I hate waiting. They're fun for what they are- fantasy and marketed to children. The movies are fun, I started watching them when I worked at the video store.

Mom hasn't read the books but liked the movies okay, she's not big on fantasy or movies but enjoyed them. Decided she should at least see one in the theater and whether or not you liked the series, there are some scenes which are just visually stunning. I'm so not a movie snob but in several of the later movies I just sat there thinking "wow"

I do remember when book 7 came out on a Friday and I went with my dad's company to a baseball game (Oakland A's) the next day and all the kids under 18 were there reading the book. I got some great pics of parents watching baseball and their 6 or 8 year old kid nose deep into a 400 page book.

[dakota4600]

Darn it! Today ended up being a spend. DH drove on a field trip for mini-D today and on the way back the battery light came on. (He had just put in a new battery last week.) So he figured out that it was the alternator and replaced it. Luckily he can do a lot of these repairs himself, so we don't have to pay for labor, but it still cost $150 to fix.

[azmom]

Harry Potter: My daughter is currently reading book 5 and has seen all of the movies (most on DVD) except the newest one. If she finished before school starts, she will have read THREE HP books this Summer! I really wanted to take her to see this new one as a Mommy/Daughter date but it is just not in the budget at all Moms in this part or split on the whole "devil" issue I tend to be on the conservative side about many things but I think when we refuse to let our kids see or experience things we miss out on great teaching moments with our children.

Tomorrow is pay day!

[muttleynfelix]

Yesterday was a minor spend. I did our grocery shopping for the week. Today may end up being a spend. We are meeting my parents at the mall to get DS some new shoes (my parents want to buy his shoes, which works for me). I think we might hit JCP and get some stuff for DH and myself. But I'll print of an E-certificate from my CC rewards to pay for anything we get there. Then we are going out to eat for supper but my parents might pay. Tomorrow is our company float trip, DH and I shouldn't spend too much money. Maybe just fill up the car with gas. The canoe rental, lunch, and supper are being paid for by my company. I guess if we want alcohol, that is on us, but really it is too hot to drink on the river. My parents are going to babysit DS...or maybe DS is going to entertain my parents.

Oh goodie, just got a phone call about a project we did ages ago.....the home owners association is suing the contractor. Oh joy.

Oh today is going to be a spend because I need to get an anniversary card for my parents (41 years on the 18th) and a birthday card for them to take to my Grandma back home. Happy Friday. (Pay day here! Woohoo).

[zippy478]

I'm up to 6 NSD. Yay! Not sure what the weekend will bring as today was payday and I'd have to not spend anything for the rest of the month to get to my 15. I'm still shooting for it though. Everything will be controlled/planned spending for the rest of the month.

I haven't read/watched any of the Harry Potter stuff but all this talk about it makes me think maybe I'll at least read the book cover to see if it is something DS (6) and I can share. I signed them up for the reading club at the library and am embarrased to admit I have yet to read more than one book to them. Things have been crazy hectic this summer but I'm going to make it a goal to read more to them. Maybe I start shooting for 15 reading days! Not a bad goal to have really.

[shanendoah]

Yesterday was a gas only No Spend- like it was supposed to be. Back on track! At least I hope. DH is done with school until that last week of September, so that should save us on gas.

Harry Potter books: These worked perfectly for DC because she grew up with them. A book came out roughly every year with the main characters having aged one year and DC having aged one year. Based on the movies, the subject matter grew up with the kids also. So for DC, it was like letters from a friend.
I remember very cleary the summer the last book came out. It was the summer before her junior year of high school and the book came out while she was visiting us. We were mean people who wouldn't take her to wait in line for the midnight release. Instead, we picked it up at CostCo at 10am the next morning.
I don't think she actually said another thing to us for the next 36 hours or so. There might have been some sounds that were meant to indicate frustration that we weren't reading and therefore she couldn't discuss the book with us.
The next summer, she and her BFF were going to be with us for college visits when movie 6 was coming out. We had to promise in advance that we would find the time to take them to the movie.
We took her to 7a when she was up at Thanksgiving, and we'll be taking her to 7b this weekend.
She is the only reason I wish I would have read the rest of the books. But taking her to the movies, its something that is a major part of her life that we share, and I like that.

azmom: Let's start with the admission that I am biased in that I am a huge sci-fi fantasy fan, but I really don't think the Harry Potter books are meant as religious messages in any way, shape, or form. Regardless of the setting, these are stories about the importance of friendship, loyalty, and doing the right thing. There are lessons that people are not always what they seem, and that adults who "seem" bad, can actually be on your side. And that adults who seem "good" or "nice" may actually not be. There are lessons about the choices we make defining us, but also that people can change- that while the choices they made years ago are still part of who they are, they are capable of redemption.
Really, its a series of books about growing up, about realizing that the world isn't always what it seems to childish eyes, and learning how to navigate those tricky moments between being a kid and an adult.
Sure they may have to face a dragon or two along the way, but don't we all have a dragon or two we have to face down while growing up?

On the other hand, I would not recommend for you or your kids (at least not until their 13+) the His Dark Materials series. (Golden Compass is the first book.) This series IS anti-religion (or at least, anti-organized religion) and the author is very honest about the fact that that was his purpose.
I still think they are wonderfully written books and good story, but for your family, especially, I think they are best held off until the kids are old enough to understand the bias of the author and able to come to you if they have questions about those parts- old enough to hold both ideas in their head and make a conscious choice about what they believe.

zippy: If you were to start DS on Harry Potter this summer, I would highly recommend that you keep to a one HP book a year schedule. Allow DS to grow up with the characters, instead of rushing him through their teenage years. The later books are a little too dark, with more moral ambiguities than I think is quite appropriate for a 6 year old. (I will caveat that I am not a parent, and obviously, some kids mature faster than others, but if I had a six year old that I started on HP, I would go the 1 book a year route.)

[startsmart]

zippy- if you're interested in the books the first 4 can be found uber cheap at thrift stores and library sales. A series I LOVED at a young age was the Boxcar children. Each book is a lot shorter and while there's a definitely lack of character development the books were written to encourage hard work and a 'make due with what you've got' attitude.

My parents started me on Nancy Drew for chapter books and I credit that with my analytical thinking from an early age. Since my brother had a harder time reading they bought him two of each book and would read them together well beyond the age he could sit in their laps. So even if Dad was reading, my brother had to follow along and see the words.

next trip- Oy so last night I was attending a call and really discovered that I need to do some work on my business in a specific area. I've been thinking this for awhile but the call really solidified it for me. So I did a very un-startsmart thing and signed up for a fall conference in Florida.

I definitely do NOT have buyers remorse this morning as I know it is a great deal, I can afford it, and will learn so much to recoup my investment but it's still a shocking thing. I'll be looking for plane tickets in the next few days and seeing if I can swing a side trip to visit my cousin after the conference wraps up.

At least this trip I'll be away from work and focused on my business unlike my NY trip when I ended up working most of the time and had just one fab night out with redwagon and red2black.

[ses]

I feel the need to chime in on the HP books. I believe children retain whatever their maturity level will allow them to retain. Therefore, I don't recommend HP until age nine or ten at the earliest. If the books are read too early, the depth and complexity that really makes the series is completely missed. I don't see the religious issue much differently than reading about the Roman, Greek, Norse and other deity and myth tales. Perhaps even Mother Goose and Superman. It all depends on the maturity level of the kid. I will say it is a great story to read to/with kids, a story to bond with that will create strong memories.

I think tomorrow will be a spend day, a road trip to the closest Boarders bookstore(2 hrs) to take advantage of the going-out-of-business sales. Can't wait.

ETA: The Boxcar Children books are great for 6yo and up. And easy to read.

[mrslynch]

just stopping by before i leave for baltimore for the free better than ezra show. hope you all are doing well!
shanen--i saw on your blog that you joined yakezie! i'm so happy that you did. it's been such a blessing to me as a blogger. i hope you find it as great as i do. (i tried to post on your blog but i'm having serious problems).

[azmom]

So tired with so many things to do today and this weekend. All require extreme planning since I am on a super tight budget. Who would have thought that $830 could be spread so thin. I posted my budget on my blog and let's just say it took some creativity. I only have $150 to go school shopping instead of the $400 I was hoping for. Completely doable just not as fun!

Shannen: I didn't say I had a religious objection to the HP series rather that it is a split subject matter in my circle, along with Twilight and the Golden Compass, etc. My DSS was fortunate to grow up with the series and we pre-ordered all of the books for him as they came out. My dd who is now 10 is enjoying reading her big brothers HP collection. Keep in mind she skipped a year of school and is far more advanced in her academic maturity just not too certain about social aspect yet, and that would be my only reason for objecting to reading material. Like I have postponed her reading Are you there God it is me Margaret? because I hadn't had "the talk" with her yet and I wanted it to come from me and not a book. Although it is no secret we are raising our children in a Christ centered home we teach them to use their minds and decipher and make decisions for themselves. We are big with open discussions and explaining the "why" of all things and allow them to do the same. Our goal is to raise and release them

SES: Enjoy Boarders!

I should get busy doing something!

[muttleynfelix]

azmom - Can I just say ... I want to be you when I grow up. I love the way you guys are raising your kids and i just hope DH and I can do half the job you seem to be doing.

[shanendoah]

azmom: Sorry, wasn't trying to come across that I thought you had a problem with HP, just the way I see the books. And contrasting that with His Dark Materials because I know some books really are written with an anti-religion message.
As for Golden Compass, my reasons for recommending your kids read it at an older age have nothing to do with a child's intelligence so much as emotional maturity. Obviously, you know your daughter better than any of us.
But, when a book presents a story that is so completely different from the values of the family the child is being raised in, it can be very difficult for children who realize that they sympathize with characters (and even like and want those characters to succeed) who have very different values from the ones the child is being raised with. I find that its best that kids don't read those kinds of books until they are able to understand that the author has an agenda, and they are able to articulate any confusion or questions they might have, and then have the reasoning ability to reconcile their family's beliefs with what they are reading.
Because your family is active in your church, that could make the His Dark Materials books more confusing and/or upsetting for your kids than they would be for kids whose families aren't religious.
I have no doubt that you would be willing to sit with any of your kids and answer their questions and talk to them about the messages in the book so that they could make up their own minds.
I can't comment on Twilight because I can only bring myself to watch the movies if there's the Rifftrax in the background, which means the books hold no appeal for me.

[startsmart]

I think I may have confused peeps with the religious objectors to Harry Potter bit - sorry about that.

I'm doing volunteer work for a Christian Charity that runs a thrift store that I shop at all the time (seriously I buy half my house decor there). The manager of the place said they had to take out a buddha statue because some of the board members got offended and apparently I bought the Harry Potter book before they could pull it from the shelves.

Like I mentioned, I know it's fantasy, I know they were written for children which is why Rowling doesn't delve into the abuse with any seriousness. But as much as I liked them, I respect any parent's take on the issue and their right to monitor what children read. Some people I know trade titles with their kids, i.e. book you want to read, book I want you to read.

Since I basically spent the ages 5-12 reading non-stop I can say I read a lot of authors, some beyond my level of understanding and while I can't pass level 1 on any of my Wii games, I still have a huge library at home.

[moneysquirrel]

No new update. I have spend each day since my last update. Most of the items were not required but each one will be used so I am not sorry about them.

I also was able to donate three boxes of items to a local charity, organize the attic, and five year's after my DH's death I was able to begin to go through some of the boxes of his papers/books. Still undecided what to do with most of them but was able to begin so that is a start. Of course, school begins again. I start with a special program on Monday then back full force on August 1st.

I hope to get to the HP movie this weekend but think it may have to be one day next week. I read all of the books and have watch all of the movies (several times).


Sapphire -- how is the knee?