Aug 30, 2009

Smart Consumer: The Soapmakers

The first rule of being a "Smart Consumer" (as opposed to one who mindlessly buys whatever appeals to him at that moment...) is this: Don't let the soap makers tell you how much soap to use. Yeah, the soap makers are going to hate me for this, but it's true. Think about it. On the shampoo bottle it says "Lather. Rinse. Repeat." Repeat? Repeat? With one word the guy who came up with those directions doubled sales overnight. Ok, maybe everyone doesn't wash their hair twice at each shampooing. Perhaps that advice made sense when people used to wash their hair once a week or less. The point is, of course the shampoo maker wants you to wash your hair twice. The real question is, why are you letting them tell you how much to use? When you do laundry, look at the levels on the detergent scoop: Medium Large Extra Large. Are we in BooksAMillion buying a coffee now? There is no small? What's up with that? Ignore the levels on the scoop and you discover for yourself how little it takes to get your clothes clean. If you stuff your washer too full, the soap doesn't rinse out well, and you can have skin problems. If you use too much soap, it's a waste. Wasting money is not smart. So stop letting them tell you. 

Aug 28, 2009

Write it Down - Quick!

What if Marco Polo, who told his tales of travel to a fellow inmate, who was a writer, told them instead to a guy who replied, "Oh, that's nice"? The Travels of Marco Polo would not exist.

If you don't write it down, it didn't happen.

What if your child makes the chess team at middle school, and practices are weekly, county meets are monthly, and tournaments are TBA? How do you keep your child's calendar straight along with your own? Write it down. Get a date book, and live by your date book. Make it big enough to record events that require your presence/preparation/driver's license, and then carry a purse that is big enough to carry your date book. If you leave the date book home, you'll double book yourself, because you cannot remember every detail. No you can't. Don't let your children fall into the bad habit of thinking that their mere mention of a future event transfers all responsibility on you to "make it happen." Give it back to them saying, "I'm driving right now. Tell me about it again when I have my date book out."

At my house, we have a rule: If it isn't written down, it doesn't happen.

I bought several things when my babies were born. One of them was a journal. I recorded things like height, weight, and first words, but the hilarious things were some of the other words that came at age three, four, and five, like "If I go away to college, who will wash my hair?" I'd record excerpts of our conversation, let them tell me about their favorite food, toys, and tv shows, while I wrote it all down with the date. When the moment is cute and adorable, you tend to think "Oh, I'll always remember this!" You WON'T. Write it down. I'll go back and read some of the hilarious comments my kids said and I find myself rolling on the floor. Literally. You don't want to miss out on that joy.

If you didn't write it down, it didn't happen.

What are you going to write today?

Aug 23, 2009

Insurance - Bet You Won't!

I find it hilarious that states, like my beloved Alabama, that won't allow gambling (except dog tracks) allow insurance companies to operate. What do you think insurance is? Gambling. You say, (as you pay your premium) "I bet I'm going to die this month!" The Company says, "Bet you won't!" You're still alive - you lose! Next month rolls around and you whip out your checkbook saying, "Bet I'm going to die..."

If you have life insurance, keep in mind the reason you bought it. You have a spouse or children who will face severe hardship without your income. If you have no spouse or children, why do you have insurance? If you are single, you do not need more than maybe a tiny little term policy to pay for your burial, which does not have to be elaborate.

If you are saving for retirement, again, a whole life policy might be wise. But refrain from over-insuring yourself. Don't get caught up in policies for specific diseases or conditions: cancer, aids, nursing home. It's a sucker's bet - the odds are so slim that you will ever cash in on these. Why do you think the insurance companies hire the math majors to work their actuarial tables. They know what the odds are, believe me. Do you?

Balance prudence for your family's finances with faith in God and His provision.

Who are you going to trust today?

Aug 19, 2009

Reading, Writing, and Whuh....?

Arithmetic is the simplest part of mathematics. A preschooler learns to count things. She eventually grasps the concept of "more," as in, "Which pile has more?" or "Would you like some more?" Kids have to understand that the squiggly lines called numerals have values we call numbers. The squiggly numeral 4 has a value that's one bigger than the squiggly numeral 3. 4>3 and so on. Once you understand the values, you manipulate them, with operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Why? Because manipulating the values represents higher level thinking. This is what education is about. You start at the basics and progress. You can't skip a step, not in math. What you learn is built upon what you already know. What good is it to know it, if you can't do anything with it? So we memorize math facts. 1+1=2 and so on. Wait a minute - memorization is higher level thinking? Yes and no. You understand the concept of "mom gave me one, and then one more = now I have twice as many cookies to eat" before you start to memorize. You KNOW the concept. You MEMORIZE the facts. Memorization is not "old school." It's tried & true. I hope that next time a surgeon operates on me, he has memorized every bone and muscle in the human body. That information will come in handy as he uses his higher learning knowledge to proceed with the surgery - I don't want him Googling locations of body parts on his iPhone while the scalpel is in his other hand. Memorizing is simple and necessary, from toddler on up. For school age kids who need to learn facts such as the times tables, I recommend flash cards. Yes, flash cards. These wonderful little pieces of paper (homemade) or full-color card stock (store bought) should sit on the table closest to the tv. What? Yeah, bear with me... Kids do not learn to speak by having formal 2-hour lessons thrice weekly. No. They picked up vocabulary a little at a time, in tiny daily doses. So don't make them sit through 2-hour sessions of math facts. Ugh. Put the flashcards next to the tv remote. When Junior is watching cartoons, and a commercial comes on, he picks up the remote, mutes the sound, and picks up the flashcards. How many can [he/you & he] go through during the commercial break? Show back on? Put the cards down and let him go back to the show. You can do flashcards at breakfast, in between bites of oatmeal. You can go through them after school, or have him review them while he's in the car or bus on his way home from school. Review them during tv commercials, and again at bedtime. It will be a matter of mere weeks before he has them down pat. Seriously. He'll build on what he knows about squiggly numerals when he learns about the values of coins and bills later on. And everyone needs to know that. 

What's Honor Got to do With It?

Honor thy father and thy mother. This is ancient wisdom, and best heeded. It goes beyond Mom & Dad, however. In Chinese and other Asian cultures, age and wisdom are revered. The elderly are treated with more respect than they seem to be treated in Western culture. Honor is a big deal. Guess what? It IS big here, whether you know it or not. Honoring your parents means more than obeying them as a kid. It's more than providing for their needs in their old age/infirmary.

Honoring your parents means bringing honor to your family.

What is your "Family" name? It's your last name. My first name is Connie. My family name is Kennedy. I bring honor to my family by the way that I act in my community. Everyone "knows" that we Kennedys are nice people. How did we get this reputation? By being nice to people. We are known for being dependable, honest, and trustworthy. This reputation is built small deed by small deed, day by day. When my children are out in public, they represent our family. When they are in school, they represent our family. Teach your children to be good ambassadors of your family. It's not just about "breaking a commandment," it's about building and maintaining positive relationships, inside and outside your family.

How are you representing your family today?