7 Reasons to Love Indy

No, not Indiana Jones. IndyCar and the Indianapolis 500!
Why would this NEO WAH mom become an IndyCar racing fan?
Well...

1. No male enhancement commercials. If you want me to change the channel, play that 'Viva Viagra' commercial every 10 minutes. Who in this country hasn't heard of these drugs and what they do? Is there REALLY a need for these?
2. No trash talking drivers. In the interviews that I saw, each driver told the viewer how good they are not how bad so-n-so is. When they were asked about another driver, they showed some class and found something positive to say...or at least they didn't trash each other.
3. Limited beer commercials. As a mom, I really don't want children (or adults) to think that you have to have beer to have fun. (I hope you didn't just learn something new)
4. Helio Castroneves. Have you seen this man smile? 'nuf said.
5. 3 Girly Girls. Milka Duno, Sarah Fisher and Danica Patrick are three woman drivers that prove that you don't have to sacrifice feminine beauty to be tough.
6. Ethanol. Yep, these cars run on ethanol. I keep hearing that if we run our cars on ethanol, the price of food will go up. Well, maybe our farmers could make a decent living. C'mon folks, some one's getting wealthy when you fill your gas tank. Wouldn't you rather it was an American Farmer?
7. 220+ MPH in an open car. That's what I call Crazybrave.

Well, I watched this out of curiosity and now I'm looking forward to this Sunday's race. I hope I don't have to retract any of my 7 reasons to enjoy this sport. That would be a bummer.

Oh, for those of you who were hoping that "Indy" stood for Indiana Jones...maybe next week.

Economic Stimulus

This is the story of three women that received their economic stimulus check.

The first woman deposited her check in a savings account at her local bank earning 1.5% APY. Because inflation averages 3% per year, she is actually ends up losing money. NO STIMULUS

The second woman paid down a credit card which in turn lowered her monthly payment giving her $30 extra per month to buy gas for her car. This is good for a while until the holidays come and she uses that credit card which puts her right back where she started. NO STIMULUS

The third woman invested in a home based business. She researched products and companies until she found one with which she was comfortable and found a current, active representative that could mentor her in her new venture. She started her new business and doubled her money in a few weeks. She invited friends to join her in her new venture because she can only be in one place at a time and needs help. Because her friends are also marketing this business she starts to receive commission checks from her supplier. These checks continue to grow as she invites more women to join her and those women invite their friends to come along.
Through the power of duplication (plus time and effort) she has taken a few hundred dollar investment into a multi-million dollar business that has changed her economy for life!

Now THAT is economic stimulus!

Sarcasm? Me? Nooooooo

I recently read an article by Paul Coughlin who is also the author of "No More Jellyfish, Chickens or Wimps: Raising Secure, Assertive Kids in a Tough World".


In the article that I read he covers Parental Sarcasm.


I find it very interesting that I happen to find this article 2 days after I blogged about my 7th grade teacher's damaging giggle. Ya see, my husband and I are the King and Queen of sarcasm. When I read the title "Parental Sarcasm is no Joke", I was immediately convicted.


I thought, "What have I done?!? Have I scarred for life? What can I do to fix it?"


Coughlin calls sarcasm a "double edged sword, able to spark laughter as well as inflict pain..."


He does point out sarcasm's good side. The prophet Elijah mocked the priests of Baal in I Kings 18:27. "At noon Elijah began to taunt them. "Shout Louder!" he said, "surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened." This is my favorite use of sarcasm of all time! ;)
Jesus also used sarcasm with the Pharisees. "You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but you swallow a camel." (Matt. 23:24)


If you notice in these examples sarcasm is directed at the stubborn, self righteous and arrogant, but never against the weak or wounded.


Too many of us use sarcasm to wound without it appearing like a wounding. Then we say, "can't you take a joke?"


Since reading this article, I have tried to curb my sarcasm habit, not just at home but with everyone.


"The tongue has the power of life and death," (Proverbs 18:21)


I want to speak words of life. Words that are of encouragement and empowerment, not wounding mockery. Anyone can be rude and laugh but those of us who are children of The Most High need to choose our words for carefully.


I guess, grandma was right, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." (unless it's to the priests of Baal or the Pharisees) ;p








You can find out more about Paul Coughlin by visiting http://www.family.org/ .

Balancing work and family?

Hi All!
Balance between work (even if it is from home), family, household duties and your man can get stressful!
My friend Lori has some great insights so check her out...

http://primchic.blogspot.com

Strike One and You're Out!

Only one strike? Even baseball players and criminals get three strikes. So why do we have this idea that if we try something once and don't succeed, we should just quit?

When we went to school, the subjects were reading, math, science and social studies. We learned the material and took the test. Unfortunately this system of education requires the correct answer the first time. We really learned, whether we realize it or not, if your can't get it right the first time, you are a failure.
I actually had a 7th grade reading teacher that would giggle when a student made a mistake. I often wonder how many of her students won't read aloud or speak in front of a group. (I know I didn't for 20 years. When I was forced to read or speak, I would hear her giggle if it wasn't perfect.)
What Bondage!!!!

So what did it take for me to get past this "One strike and you're out" mentality?

Watching a baby learn to walk.
Unless you are a horse, you did not walk the day you were born. Nor did you at ten months of age stand up and start walking because you saw someone else walk. Learning to walk was a trial and error process. Did you take one or two steps, fall then say, "forget it, I'm just not meant to walk"? NO! You saw others doing what you wanted to do, and you worked at it until you got it.

What if we addressed all our falls and failures as if it were a learning process like walking?
What could we accomplish in our lives if we would give ourselves permission to miss the target on the first try? What if every time we made a mistake, instead of beating ourselves, we heard Billy Joel singing "Your only human, you're supposed to make mistakes..."
Then...
What if we gave each other permission to be the person that we were each created to be? What if we encouraged others in all things as if they were learning to walk? Instead of giggling like my teacher, what if we gave permission to take ones time and encouraged others to try until they got it?
I guess, we would being singing "What a Wonderful World".

One strike and you're out? No way, the first ten swings are just a warm up.