Stress

I have a great doctor. When doctors tell you to reduce the stress in your life, what they don't realize is that it's not that easy. Different things cause stress.

Work. That's stressful even when you aren't the one working. In today's economy jobs are getting cut. It's hard not to worry about the fact that my spouse could call me at any time telling me that he's been let go. That causes stress.

Children. Children can be stressful. It's a job that lasts a lifetime. That's not a stress that I want to get rid of. I love my son. He can be stressful sometimes. But he can also relieve stress. He can come in and hug me and make me feel better when I'm down. He can talk back, disobey and push all my buttons and in the next second be completely and totally remorseful for his actions and melt my heart. That stress will never go away. Nor would I ever wish for it to.

Marriage. Marriage can be stressful. Like children, you completely give 100% of yourself to your spouse. You are sharing yourself and life with somebody else. Somebody that has a mind of their own. They have their own way of doing things that is different from the way you do things. They can completely infuriate you then give you this look with so much love that you just melt into a puddle. Your spouse loves you with complete and total abandon. A great friend described that kind of love as: "Giving that person what they need the most when they deserve it the least." Sometimes that's easier said than done, but the rewards are worth it. Loving someone is a choice and a sacrifice. It's also stressful. That's a stress that will NEVER go away. Nor would I ever wish for it to.

Family. Family can be stressful. I won't go into this too much other than to say that I love my family, they stress me out sometimes, but I love them and I am completely thankful for EVERYTHING they do for us. That's a stress that will never go away. I would like a vacation sometimes, but I would never want my family to go away.

Money....Now there is a stress if there ever was one. As long as we americans keep taking pay cuts while our government keeps making outrageous salaries, that is a stress that will never go away.

Some numbers for you:

$400,000 Obama's salary as president per year

$ 33,333.33 Obama's salary per month. $32,000 My husband's salary per YEAR

$1095.89 Obama's salary per DAY $1095.00 Jim's paycheck on the 1st of the month

$45.66 What Obama makes per minute.... $0.00 How much money we have in savings....

I'm not going to turn this into a political entry nor do I want any debates, but I just want people to see the difference here. I have even more numbers for you.

It's ugly.

-$47.86 - Our checking account balance.

15 days - until Jim's next check hits.

$236.61 - The phone bill....31 days past due.....

$300.72 - Time Warner bill.....63 days past due....

$287.43 - Electric bill....48 days past due....

$156.97 - Car insurance...3 days past due...

$796.24 - Rent plus water...due in 12 days...

$170.00 - Owed to my mom for helping me make my last car payment plus gas money.

$181.34 - Owed to my dad for work done on my car at Firestone.

$120.00 - Owed to my son for back allowance money.

$75.00 - What I'm supposed to pay for Ryan to play baseball this fall.

$300.00 - Owed on my car....today...64 days past due...

$236.00 - Groceries per month for 3 people.

$248.00 - What we spent last month on gas for the car.

$387.00 - What we spent on overdraft fees last month...or every month...

$150.00 - What I'm supposed to pay for my half of Ryan's birthday party....

$1095.00 - Next check from Jim's work on Sept. 1

$400.00 - What I make from properties per month...

$400.00 - My share of extra work done at properties....this month only....

$225.00 - Child support I receive...

$887.00 - Jim's check on the 15th.

$638.01 - short this month....

$166.67 - still short even if I don't pay my parents and son what I owe them.....

I have a great doctor....Unfortunately, I don't see a way for me to get rid of the stress....

$3.645.01 - What we need to catch up and start from scratch.....

Reduce stress....Right.....I'll put that on my list....Probably below catching up on sleep....which is below catching up on laundry, which is below catching up on bills.......

I have a great doctor.....but unless there is a magic pill to get rid of the stress, I don't see me reducing it anytime soon....

Today I will be returning our car until I can get the money for the payments...Probably for 2 weeks....In the meantime, we can borrow my mom's car....and ride bikes.....Well at least I can work on the weight loss on my to do list......

What's funny, our government has promised help to more people.....I don't see that....Unless you make less than $20,000 a year.....Don't count on seeing a dime from Uncle Sam....You want help....keep dreaming....that's about all you are left with....

-- Post From My iPhone

Holiday Season Is Here......UGH!!!!

What's the point of the holidays?  Christmas is a given.  But Thanksgiving all the others.  It just serves to put people together that don't get along and to make us miserable.  We rush from one house to the other and eat so much that we are sick for days.  We pretend to like people that truly make us miserable for the sake of "Family Time".  We put up with all the rude comments for the sake of "Family Time".  We spend tons of money we don't have so that "Santa Claus" can live on in our kids lives for another year.  I'm not allowed to tell my 7 year old yet that "Santa" is just an excuse for us to spoil our kids and get away with it.  His dad would rip me a new one if I did.  Granted, his dad has plenty of help in that department.  This year for thanksgiving, I'm going to grill some burgers and watch the Cowboys sink further into oblivion.  Ryan will go to his dad's family this year.  It's just going to be Jim and I.  No more making my sister rush from in-laws to us.  No more trying to plan around everyone else's plans this year.  I'm done with it.  I'm not going to listen to people gripe about the money I've spent on the food as they eat it all and leave nothing for leftovers.  No more listening to people gripe about the money I've spent on presents for Ryan even though I bought the ones they gave him.  Santa is only bringing one thing to our house this year because not every kid goes to multiple houses for Christmas........yet.  We will tell the Christmas story and why we celebrate it.  But we aren't going all out anymore.  I'm giving up.  It's all about my husband and my son this year.  Where Ryan wants to go for the holidays is up to him this year.  He's old enough to choose.  I'm done trying to figure out how to fairly split the holidays with his dad because I want to be selfish with my time with him.  His dad isn't home like I am.  Technically I get way more time anyways because I stay home.  That's being selfish.  That's not fair to Ryan or his dad.  I'm not going to spend another holiday season stressing myself out until I'm sick.  I'm not going to spend crazy amounts of money that I don't have to feed people who are sooo ungrateful for it.  Burgers and Chips with parades and football.  If you want to come over great.  Bring something you want to eat.  It's potluck.  I have a 27" TV with no cable.  We can watch whatever is on broadcast TV.  I will be thankful this year for a gracious God who has blessed me with a beautiful son and a wonderful husband.  I will be thankful for a gracious God that has forgiven my sins and will allow me to enter heaven when my time comes.  I'm not going to try to please everyone all the time because nobody cares.  I try to go all out to show my family how much I appreciate ALL the things they have done for my husband, son and I and all I hear is $$$$$$$.  I quit.  I will just start handing over the cash and be done with it.  I'm not buying gas anymore.  I'm not buying lunches anymore.  I'm not paying for nails anymore.  I'm not doing anything anymore but handing over cash because that's all people care about.  People want to see us, they can call and plan a time for them to come see us.  I'm not driving all over God's beautiful green earth to them anymore.  Just because gas is under $2 doesn't mean I can afford it anymore.  It just means I can save it to fix the next thing that may go wrong with the car.  People want to see us.  You know our phone number.  

PICK UP THE PHONE AND CALL ONCE IN A WHILE!!!!!  

IT'S NOT THAT HARD!!!!

WE CALL YOU ALL THE TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

I can predict this.  The phone will NOT ring.  NOBODY will call us.  Not even our "Friends" will call us.  Not even our family will call us.  That says a lot right there. 

The only person I know that will call is my Mom.  She calls me everyday.  She calls to see how we are doing.  She calls just to say hi.  She calls because she cares.  I do the same thing to her.  I call her everyday.  I pray she is around for a long time.  I will miss those calls when they stop.  I joke and I roll my eyes at times, but she knows it.  We laugh about it.  We know that when those calls stop, they will be missed.  

I had a friend years ago like that.  We talked multiple times a day.  I got married and consumed with my new life and stopped calling daily.  I wouldn't answer the calls.  I just didn't have time.  He died a few years ago.  I still have his number in my phone.  It belongs to someone else now I'm sure.  I just can't bring myself to delete the phone number.  Everytime I get a new phone.  I make sure that the number gets into the new phone.

That's a true friend there. 

I have another friend like that.  She will call me.  I will call her.  We hang out weekly.  That's a true friend right there.  What about everyone else?  Will you call us.  I doubt it.  That's ok though.  We'll get by.  We have God and each other.  That's all we need.

Maybe I will actually have minutes leftover at the end of the month.  Wow, I wonder what that is like!!!!!!!!!  

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE!!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!!!!

HAPPY CHANUKAH!!!!!!!! (you know who you are  :D)