Economy disaster

I am sure everyone is talking about the tragedy from the tornado's that has hit the Northeast.  We have a big customer in Cherokee, AL that got hit pretty hard.  We have had an employee go to Sams Club to get water, food, and paper products to take to them in one of our trucks.  You should have seen how much stuff we sent.  The semi was packed full of stuff.  I am very thankful that we could help them out after this terible disaster has struck. 

I think that this horrible act of mother nature is going to hurt all of us in some way.  I have already seen the fuel prices go up again and can't help but think that it is because of the tornado's causing so much damage.  How much more of this can we take?  I drive 56 miles every day to and from work and it is really hurting my pocket book.  Now summer is coming and daycare is going to double.  Maybe I should learn to ride my husbands Harley to help save on fuel. 

Just Chatting

I know everyone is ready for the summer to be here.  Me, myself, can not wait.  So far, we haven't made any big plans to go any where, but to just take a week off of work and not have to worry about anything is relaxing enough for me.  The past few years, my husband and I have taken a trip on our motorcycle with my mom and dad for our summer vacation.  We rode 5200 miles in 9 days when we went out to see the Redwoods in California and circled back through Yellowstone.  It was awesome.  We try to rotate our motorcycle trips with a family trip.  This summer will be spent with the kids.  My husband has always taken his kids camping in the summer for a week.  That is all his kids want to do.  One year, we took them to Memphis, TN.  I had a really great time, but they really didn't.  They were upset because we had to stay in a hotel instead of a camper.  They are satisfied with swimming in the creek, sitting by the fire, and goofing off all day.  Plus, it's cheaper on us.  That fine with me. 

I have thought about taking classes in the summer to help me get through with school quicker.  I have so much left to do though.  I can barely find the time to get through with my classes now.  Between work, running after my son, house chores, and focusing on my marriage, it gets pretty exhausting.  It is going to take me for ever to finish if I don't change something.  I have only been taking two classes each semester so maybe I need to try to squeeze another one in instead of going in the summer.  I have always enjoyed the summer breaks.

My oldest daughter is getting married in October.  She has been asking me if I will help her make flower arangements in August.  I have never done anything like it, but I guess I will help her with what I can.  She also wants me and my mom to make 25 pumpkin pies for her wedding reception.  I know it is strange, but it is her day.  I can't believe she has grown up so fast. 

I guess I will quit rambling on.  Have a great weekend.

Retirement

With everything going on with my friend, I have really started thinking about retirement.  The company that I work for has just brought in their 401K representative to talk with us about signing up with the plan.  I have participated in a retirement plan before, but I lost most of my money when the crisis hit in 2008.  I am really too scared right now to put my money into a retirement plan.  But, I am looking at 27 years until I am 65.  That is even scarier.  My husband has been putting into his retirement plan for the last eight years.  I need to be thinking about my own retirement though.  I can't just count on him.  Who knows if we will even still be together in 27 years.  I think if I start small, I can afford to contribute something.  Something is better than not saving at all.  I am not very familiar with all of the different funds that I can put into though.  I know that this representative is willing to help, but I feel pretty stupid asking a lot of questions.  Especially since I am in accounting.  Right now, we already have a tight budget.  I have been told though, that I will only see a slight difference in my actual take home pay.  Also, my employer will match 10% of what I put in.  That sounds pretty awesome.  The employer that I was in with before did not offer that.  We also did not have any guidance on anything.  My company now, has a financial professional that will help in guiding me when the stock market down on what to do.  I need all of the help I can get too.  I do not know anything about it.  If I put money into a savings account, will that be easier?  I wouldn't have to worry about when the stock market is up or down.  I really think the best way to save for retirement would be to but a house or two and rent them out.  The guy that lives in front of us wants us to buy his land that has an old dump trailer on it.  We have been talking about it, since we could rent it out and the place would be paid for in three years.  Then that would just be extra income for us to put into savings.  I really don't know.  Any ideas??

Troubled Friend

I have a very close friend that I have been in touch with for many, many years.  We met while I was in grade school in a small town in Kansas.  Some how, we have managed to stay in touch after all of these years.  When she was 23, she moved to Wichita and met a wealthy guy that seemed to be pretty good to her.  Shortly after they got married, 14 years ago, her husband joined the army.  As military life is, they have moved all over United States, and they lived in Germany for three years.  She actually had her third child over there.  Being away from her family and friends, she has been very lonely.  She has made  a few friends, but no one she can get too close with since they move all of the time.  Her husband is some Sargeant or something in the Army and he is also an alcoholic and abusive to her.  They have had many struggles through out their time together.  He is always spending money and not leaving much left for her to pay their debts or buy groceries.  He loves to play golf and drink lots of beer.  Even when he is away in the field, he is spending money.  He has been to Iraq twice and he has blown a lot of money while he had been there.  She has to take care of the children and everything around the house while he is gone.  It has been a lot of stress on her.  When he comes home, she has to deal with him constantly going to the golf course, drinking, and being abusive.  She has called the MP'S on him several times, and has gone to counceling, but nothing has helped.  Just before Thanksgiving, he had punched a hole in the wall beside her head and held a gun to her.  She has had to go to the doctor because she is so depressed and has been put on medication.  About a year ago, she started crying one day and could not stop.  She was having suicidal thoughts, and ended up going back to the doctor.  She ended up admitting herself to a Psychiatric hospital for a week.  She is not doing much better today.  Her husband has been hitting on her and calling her names.  When I talked to her tonight, she said that she had got the kids ready for school this morning and when she got in her vehicle to leave for work, she closed the garage door, started her vehicle, and just sat in it with the windows up for a while.  She was thinking of dying.  She is so depressed and I do not know how to help her. She don't see how she can leave him.  I have begged her for years to come stay with me, but she just stays with him.  She always thinks he will change.  I feel so helpless.  I wish I knew what I could do to help her.  At least something that I know would make her get away from him.  She is going to end up killing herself.

School Conference

I just came from my parent/teacher conference with my son's teacher.  He has three C's, two B's, and an A.  I am very disappointed in this school's policies.  When I was in school, parents could go visit their childs classroom whenever there was a problem and see for themselves what was going on.  They do not let you do that anymore.  It is due to the child's privacy.  If I go and observe my child, I might see another child do something and comment on it.  I do not agree with that.  I think it is to cover the teachers butt.  The teacher tells me one thing and my son has a different story.  I don't know the truth because I can not go and find out for myself.  His teacher said that he does not turn in all of his work.  He has missing assignments.  I have repeatedly ask for some communication when he has missing assignments.  He has a journal that he brings home everyday with her smart remarks in it.  There is very little positive feedback from her.  If she notes in there that he has missing work, the paperwork or books are not there to go over it with him.  She tells me that he doesn't put it in there.  She will not do it for him.  He tells me that she will not give him anything.  I have given her my e-mail so that we can communicate privately, but she has only e-mailed me once.  I ask her if she could have my son miss recess or come in early to make up any work that is missing.  She said that the school will not let her keep him in from recess because he needs to run out some energy and she is not always there early enough to come in before school.  I feel like I am trying here and not getting anywhere.  When I get a bad report in his journal for talking, my son gets a spanking or grounded.  If the teacher will not give me the assignments by sending them with him, or e-mailing them to me, I can only punish him at home.  I have had to keep all of his papers that he brings home because when he started having missing work, I could go through the stack and find a couple that was supposed to be missing.  The paper would not be graded, so I would send it  back with him to school with my note on it showing that it had not been graded.  Two of the assignments that she shows as missing, are in her pile of work to grade.  I am really lost here in how to help the teacher and my son.  My stepson went to this school and because he had missing assignments, he would have to have the teacher sign his journal in each class stating that he had no homework due or missing assignments everyday.  He was in 7th and 8th grade.  My son is in 3rd grade.  If anyone has any suggestions, I am all ears. 

Teenagers

My younger daughter just turned 18 at the end of January.  She graduated high school early last semester because she wanted to start college a semester early.  Her boyfriend in going to college in Indianapolis and will not be home until December.  She was hoping that she would have her nursing classes done by then so they could start on their life together.  You can't tell them.  They just don't listen.  I tried to tell her that it would take longer for her to get through her classes, but she just wouldn't listen.  She had it all fighured out for herself.  I think she is realizing it more now, but she don't admit it.  I am happy that she is trying to get a nursing degree and do something with her life while she is still so young.  She is definately not following in my footsteps.  By the time I was her age, I had quit school, got married, and had a baby.  Now, she wants to move in with her girlfriends.  She has been wanting a different car, but she don't make that much money.  I told her that she couldn't afford to have a new, or newer, car and be able to pay for rent, utilities, and food.  She agreed with me.  Boy, was I shocked.  She has been a really good girl.  She don't go out hardly ever.  She don't stay out late.  She watches Ghost Hunters with her little brother.  She even lets him fall asleep with her and then takes him to his bed.  She helps out around the house with the laundry, dishes, and vaccume.  She don't ever ask for money.  I can tell that I have managed to lead her in the right path to her adulthood.  I am very proud of her.  I hope it will be this easy when my son gets her age.  I might need all the help I can get with him.

Mom

I don't know what I would do without my mom.  She is the smartest person that I know.  When she was 14, her mother passed away, so she did not have her mother to go to when she needed to.  I can't imagine what that would be like.  I can't go a day without calling my mom and asking for some kind of advice, or just to talk to her.  There are so many things that go on in life that I know she will have the right answer on how to handle it.  When I was younger I thought I knew the right answers too, but I was wrong.  There have been many times that I kick myself because I should have listened to her.  I know if I ever need anything she would do what ever she had to to see that I was ok.  My mom tells me when I do something that she doesn't approve of.  She talks to me about it so that I can see her point and think of a better solution.  No matter what though, she has always took up for me.  She will not allow anyone to talk to her about her kids.  Even if someone was trying to tell her the truth about something that I had done, she would not listen.  She will come and talk to me about it later.  I will always love my mom for the way that she has brought me up and has guided me through a rough life.  I will always look up to her.  She is my HERO!