Congrats on your new found Guitar Playing Charlie! Yesterday we picked up a used Fender HSS Stratocaster for you and you played it all day. You sound pretty amazing for three weeks of practice on my acoustic Seagull S-6! Happy Birthday!
Teaching kids the value of money
2 Comments Published by jinfinite8 January 18th, 2008 in Resources.I have two thoughts about my kids and money. First, that I want my kids to know EARLY that money doesn’t buy happiness. Second, I want my kids to know that money doesn’t buy happiness.
Apart from that it would be nice if they can all develop a healthy relationship with money - you know, the kind where you spend money in a half way intelligent way, save money, avoid debt, and spend money on what really matters to you. This is where I really fell down for Max and Charlie because I had absolutely no clue and therefore had no hope of showing them the right relationship to have with money. It’s only as I approach my 39th birthday that I’ve got half a clue and I still have a huge way to go.
One of the things that really bugs me right now is that John and Julia have a really unrealistic picture of money and toys. That’s our fault (the dumb parents). I found an article today that I found very useful and I’m going to put it in play. I think that it has as much chance of helping with chores (especially John and Julia) cleaning their room, as it does with showing them the value of money and that’s why I like it. Thanks for the tip beingfrugal.net!
I was just cleaning my office and came across the flyer below. I wanted to scan and post the flyer to commemorate Charlie’s skateboard summer.
Housewife unemployed
1 Comment Published by jinfinite8 September 23rd, 2007 in Around the house, Housekeeping, HomePreneur, Manpreneur.CENSUS POEM: “He said, ‘Your occupation please?’ This London census-taking guy. I started to enumerate and said quite frankly, ‘I wash the dishes, scrub the floors, shine the windows, polish doors, Bathe three children, wipe their noses, Work a little in the roses. Do the washing, iron the clothes. Pick up playthings, mend the hose. Sweep out daily, close britches, Sew a dress with tiny stitches, Nurse a sick one, make the beds, Kiss hurt places, shampoo heads. Wipe up after pups and kittens, Tuck in covers, hear each prayer. Brag a little, ease a care. Take your pick. I get no pay, But that’s what I do every day.” He listened very carefully, that’s why I’m so annoyed, Because that man just scribbled down: ‘Housewife. Unemployed.’”
Via my Cousin Jeanne Taysom. Beauty Jeanne!
“Cool im playing tag”
That’s what Charlie’s reply text message to me said on September 9th. I found it so refreshingly innocent. It reminds me that it’s been a long time since I’ve played tag and it’s one of those games that there’s no good reason we don’t continue to play all our life.
John and Julia started school on Wednesday of this week and I snapped a couple of photos to capture the moment. They both had a great time and were very happy to see their teachers from last year. Only one kid is a hold over from last session so there are lots of new kids for them to become friends with.
Today is a good day in so many ways. One of them is the good fortune that brought us Charlie. Happy Birthday Son! I love you.
Dad
It was off to Phipps Skate Park today with Charlie for his skate board lesson. Turned out that for most of the two hour session no one else showed up so Charlie got 1:1 instruction from resident shredder Grant Yansura. Grant is a local boy with mad skate skills 
and an up and coming skate movie coming out in local theaters this Thursday July 26th, 2007.
Grant is a really nice kid and did a great job of giving Charlie his lesson. I can’t say enough good things about this city program. $20 for two hours every Saturday for residents. $25 gets you a six month membership at the ‘club’ where the kids can hang out for 6 hours a day starting at Noon 7 days a week. They have a big screen flat panel TV broadcasting Fuel TV (alternative sports), a Nintendo Wii, Foosball table, Table Tennis and couches to lounge around on. I waited to see if Charlie liked his lesson and got an emphatic ‘hell ya’ when he was done. So we signed him up for membership and he wants to go again on Monday.
We will also head back over next weekend and have another lesson with Grant.
I’ll be uploading some video when it is edited.
For now you can see some pictures from Charlie’s adventure on my Flickr account under Charlie Sk8
Too bad they don’t make a medication for John’s meltdowns that works as good as the IGIV medication is doing for his I.T.P. 
