mcmama's comments

Single Parent Procrastination

04 Sep 2007 07:04 AM

OK OK! Gonna go finally put that stuff in the mail and answer those notes, and make those calls, and...and...and...

Leona Helmsley's $12 Million Bequest to Her Dog

30 Aug 2007 01:27 PM

I think this is wonderful.

A large trust fund for the dog makes certain that whoever takes care of her will do it well, and always have the interest of keeping the dog healthy at heart. And I do not fault her for smaller bequests to her grandchildren, including the ones who received nothing. The grandchildren now have a wonderful bequest, with which they can invest and make their own fortunes - and the ones who don't get anything are just out of luck, but if their grandma was not close to them in life, why give them anything?

Her charitable bequests will likely do the world a world of good.

Do Homeschoolers Brainwash Their Kids?

24 Aug 2007 05:57 AM

I guess I was brainwashed in Catholic school, because we said a prayer before classes, before meals, went to first Friday mass, and learned catechism. And all that happened during school, not after. I guess they washed my brain very thoroughly, because I am not a catholic anymore! (Maybe I had a dirty mind all along!) And I guess I am brainwashing my kids because we pray together, and although they go to a secular school, I take great delight in showing them that religious people are not stupid, even when they have southern accents!

Turtles in the 'Hood Part 3

22 Aug 2007 01:21 PM

Make sure you have it all worked out who is taking care of the snake when the last kid goes to college. Some snakes can live a LOOONNG time.

Obtaining the Records

21 Aug 2007 09:30 AM

Thank you Nola, these are excellent resources.

I am pretty much an amateur at geneology, but have lists provided by relatives of birthdates, date and port of immigration, and so on. I also found that online census records are helpful, but some do not always contain accurate info because it depends on the quality of the interview and the reporting that was done. And I checked some relatives against the social security public database, and found that some information was wrong there.

I am now reconstructing my aunt's service in the ANC in WWII, going through her letters, photos, documents - and comparing to what others have posted online - and am finding that by sharing the info we all benefit in getting a more accurate picture of what happened.

Monthly Money Goals

05 Aug 2007 08:36 AM

Miriam, thank you for this, I like breaking it down into paying off one debt per month.

Do you have any thoughts on what families can do when catastrophe strikes and they are unprepared? Such as nasty surprises from your health insurance company, denial of workman's compensation/disability claims, lawsuits, excessive legal bills from litigation or custody or family disputes, etc?

I really appreciate the quality of writing you bring to this site, and the ideas you share with us.

Week in Review for July 29th to August 4th

05 Aug 2007 08:29 AM

Debbie thank you, these are all excellent.

A while ago, you wrote about disability insurance and cash reserves. I'm wondering if you might have some thoughts on how people cope when the actual unforeseen emergency hits, especially if they are not prepared. For example, nasty surprises about your health coverage, lawsuits, excessive legal bills resulting from custody issues or problems with family members, etc.

I really appreciate the quality you bring to this site

Getting Baby Clothes for Free

06 Jun 2007 05:53 AM

Thank you for your comment, Jonesx6.

We have very little control over specific ads placed by google, other than general guidelines about being on a family site. Victoria's Secret has very provocative television and print ads, but they are in every major mall and downtown area in the USA, so likely this was the reason for the ad agency to place their ad as part of the package.

God's Blueprint For Life

30 May 2007 04:22 PM

I am in a multi cultural and multi religous area, where sabbath to many is not Sunday, but Friday or Saturday. We have "blue laws" which keep the stores closed Sunday. These are very popular, because the municipalities which have the shopping malls want one day free of insane northern NJ traffic. It creates problems however, for those who keep a strict Sabbath on a day other than Sunday. Those folks usually will drive a good 45 minutes to an hour to do their mall shopping on a Sunday.

Since the "blue laws" prohibit the sale of certain items on a Sunday, like clothing, that means that the small stores in the failing downtowns of the local municipalities have to close on Sunday too - even if the majority population is not Christian, and cannot shop on Friday or saturday. So the stores do not have their target customers in on the weekend, and lose the day. Some solutions are to have saturday evening hours, but it really is a loss.

Sabbath was made for the man, and not man for the Sabbath. So I feel that in a multicultural area the laws should be repealed, especially for the local downtowns. My decision to reserve a day for family gatherings, church, prayer, etc (and some yardwork) is between me and God. And I note that among the orthodox Jews in my neighborhood who observe a very strict sabbath, the fact that all the stores are open on Saturday and closed on Sunday does not lessen their faith, or their committment to their way of life.

But having to close clothing and discount stores on Sunday when they can shop sure affects the local economy!

Wives Who Work From Home - Bringing Home the Bacon

23 May 2007 10:07 AM

I'm divorced and I still get the "oh". I just put "self employed".

Sometimes I think the expectation of divorced moms is that you are supposed to get off your behind, get out there, and get a real job. It's like you are cheating if you work from home. Especially if you work for yourself.

Working from home is about as real as it gets.