Thursday, April 30, 2009

Thursday, April 30, 2009

I wish I knew who wrote this so I can give them credit. Regardless this is a sweet message that shows the true cost of having children.

The Price of Children.

This is just too good not to pass on to all. Here is something absolutely positive for a change. 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's 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 price shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition .But $160,140.00 isn't so bad if you break it down.

It translates into:
* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month,
* $171.08 a week.
* A mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice is : don't have children if you want to be 'rich.' Actually, it is just the opposite.What do you get for your $160,140.00?
* Naming rights . First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every 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 jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites.
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140.00, you never have to grow up. You get to:
* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs,
* never stop believing in Santa Claus .

You have an excuse to:
* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watch Saturday morning cartoons,
* go to Disney movies, and
* wish on stars.

You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas , hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day , and cards with backward letters for Father's Day .

For a mere $24.24 a day, 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 a 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 in history to witness the:
* First step,
* First word,
* First bra,
* First date,
* First time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great - 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 under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, 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. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren & great-grandchildren!!!!!!! It's the best investment you'll ever make!!!!!!!!!

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Sunday, April 26, 2009



I am the luckiest mom ever for 2 reasons….Jacinda and McCabe. They make me so happy. I love how Jacinda sporadically says, “I love you McTabe.” And then he answers back, “I love you.” They both try so hard to be good.

We went to a carnival and the kids had a great time. It took McCabe a little convincing at first, but after the rides started moving there was laughter. Jacinda loved riding the swings. She though she was flying.

McCabe and Jacinda riding bikes.
Jacinda flying on the swings.
Jacinda and mom waiting for daddy and McCabe to finish their ferris wheel ride.

During this past week we were so busy doing things. We bought plants for our garden and Tim made a fire pit from a washing machine. It is the ultimate white trash fire pit but works great. We made some delicious s’mores and enjoyed the heat during a light sprinkle. I love being with my family.

White trash fire pit. (Oh yeah)

Today I got to teach the lesson in Relief Society on the Infinite Power of Hope. It was given in October’s Saturday conference. If there was one message that really struck me, it was that hope should be the first feeling that fills our lives when trials come over us. It is hard to have hope when life gets hard, but having hope (aka trust in the Lord) makes the trials much easier to encounter.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Sunday, April 12, 2009

The kids, mainly Jacinda was very excited for the Easter Bunny. She told me to put a basket in front of her bedroom door so the Easter Bunny would fill it. She was sorely disappointed when she awoke and found an empty basket. She said, “the Easter Bunny did not come.” I told her to go downstairs and eat some breakfast. That is when the fun began. She saw a gift for mom, then for McCabe, and then she found her Easter basket. She was so excited she started singing and telling everybody that she loves them. It is amazing what a few pieces of sugar can do for a kid.