Tuesday’s Tip Jar: Resolutions

Sure it’s only 9 days until Christmas, but I’m thinking about New Years already. Are you? I’ve been thinking about my resolution for 2009 (to quit smoking – yep, BAD CARA!).

In a study done last year in the US, these are the top 10 New Year’s Resolutions:

1. Earn more money
2. Lose Weight
3. Get organized
4. Manage time better
5. Spend more quality time with family
6. Reduce debt
7. Help others
8. Find soul mate or work on marriage
9. Find a better job
10. Quit Smoking

Most resolutions are abandoned by the second or third week of January. Why? Because the key to keeping your resolution is to HAVE A PLAN!I have two resources to help you create a plan keep your resolutions this coming year!

First, here is a new free report about reducing debt that I got my chubby little hands on. I read it last night and it’s so helpful! You can create an action plan to reduce your debt. And if you need more help, there is a link to a program that can help you. Download your free report Powerful Debt Reduction Strategies. <!– /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:”Cambria Math”; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:1; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 0 0 0 0 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:”"; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –>

I’m hosting a live teleseminar on December 30th. On this call I’ll be answering your questions and helping you Get Organized in 2009! Spots are limited, so if you are at all interested in attending, reserve your seat now! For more information go to Get Organized in 2009 Teleseminar.

For more Tuesday Tips, head on over to Blog Mommas and join the fun!

Silly Survey: Help The Obama Family

What kind of dog should Barack Obama buy for his daughters? I can’t believe how much attention this getting – probably more than the economic crisis or the war in Iraq! Or maybe, it’s getting so much attention because of the crisis and war. We need something fun and positive to focus on.

Anyway, here is a link to a silly survey you can take to help the Obama’s decide – LOL. By participating, you could win a $100 VISA Gift Card. Click Here (sorry Canada – available to US residents only).

The Emotional Impact of Prematurity

I’ve already blogged about the statistics of premature births in the US and what you can do to help. But today, I want to share my personal story – the Mom side of prematurity.

Three-years ago this past September my son was born 12 weeks early by emergency c-section. A c-section was not part of my plan. I wanted a regular, old fashioned, push-it-out birth. I won’t say ‘natural’ because I didn’t think that I would pass on the drugs when they were offered, but I was going to try. I was going to have my mother and my mother-in-law there, possibly my sister too, if they wanted to witness the birth. I wanted to make it a wonderful, welcoming experience that a birth should be.

But I had developed precclampsia. My blood pressure sky-rocketed. My placenta abrupted. He needed to be delivered immediately for his safety, and for mine. He weighed 2lbs 9oz and was only 14 inches long.

It all happened very quickly – so fast that I had general anesthesia because there was no time for an epidural; so fast that I had bruises on my belly for a couple weeks afterwards because the doctors focused on getting him out instead of being gentle; so fast that my husband hadn’t finished calling our parents to tell them what was going on before they came out of the OR and barked at him”It’s a boy – now follow us”.

There are many things that mothers-to-be can’t wait for when they think about delivering their child. Hearing “it’s a boy”, hearing the baby’s first cry, holding the baby when it’s just minutes old, kissing your husband, etc, etc, etc.

• I didn’t get to hear my son’s first cry – neither did my husband.
• I was high from drugs that I don’t even remember seeing my son the first time I visited him.
• I wasn’t conscious to help fill out his birth certificate.
• We don’t have hand or foot prints from the hospital and we don’t have and official hospital picture.
• His first picture is a Polaroid that the NICU nurses took for us since we didn’t have our camera.
• I didn’t get to hold him until he was 3 days old.
• The first time he ate was through a feeding tube.

Joey was in the hospital NICU for 8 weeks. I wish I could say that the day we brought him home was the end of the whole ordeal. But there was 3 years of follow-ups and evaluations, constantly reminding us of the drama involved with his birth.

There is also an emotional scar. A scar that is filled with guilt (what did I do wrong), sadness (why did it happen to us) and anger (why cant anyone tell me why it happened). My doctor tells me it’s a form of post-traumatic stress disorder. Even after 3 years, I still feel the scar and all the emotions related to my son’s birth. So I blog about it to support the March of Dimes.

The March of Dimes has taken on this devastating problem—to find out what causes it and how it can be stopped.

Call To Action: How can you help?

1. Sign the Preemie Petition

2. Join Kristine’s Blogging for Prematurity Awareness campaign and help spread awareness

3. Comment, favor, and share (Twitter it, share on Facebook, Stumble it, etc) my Resources for Preemie Parents page.

4. Post the following button on your blog or site:

<a href=”http://www.marchofdimes.com?kbid=1685″ target=”_blank”><img src=”http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/girlie0226/mod_pam.gif” alt=”Support The March Of Dimes”></a>

Note: 100% of the proceeds from this link go directly to MOD.

It’s Animal Shelter Appreciation Week

For the past week or so, I’ve been taking care of a stray that has decided to hang-out in my yard. It’s a brown tabby cat I named Setzer (after Brian Setzer, the former lead singer of The Stray Cats – get it? LOL). Twice a day when I feed my critters, I put food and water out for him too. We also left a decent sized, sturdy box for Setzer to take shelter in should the weather turn bad.

Tomorrow, my town’s Animal Control department is bringing me a trap so that we can catch him and bring him to the local shelter (a no-kill shelter BTW) where he will receive an exam, medical treatment, a warm bed and hopefully be put up for adoption. I already have a care package ready to go with Setzer: 2 cat food bowls, a bag of cat food, a bag of litter and a few old towels that I know the shelter can use.

It seems appropriate that I’m taking care of Setzer this week and getting him safe and to a shelter as it is National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week. Local shelters depend so much on donations and volunteers. What can you do to help your local animal shelter? Besides donating your money, there are other ways to support your local shelter.

You can donate your time. Shelters always need care-givers: dog walkers, cage cleaners, etc. Many are also looking for foster families to take in shelter animals and socialize them.

Donate your used blankets and towels. All the animals, at least in my local shelter have blankets in their cages. Plus, the animals are bathed and groomed, so they always need towels.

Donate pet care products. You can simply drop off a bag of food, a box of litter, toys, even animal toiletries to help your shelter. They also have a demand for cleaning products to keep the shelter sanitary.

Because all 4 of my critters, not including Setzer, were adopted from local shelters, I have seen first hand what the volunteers do for these animals. That is one of the reasons that I put together the care package for Setzer – to help with his care.

For more information, you can visit your local shelter, vet or the following sites:

• AnimalSheltering.org
• The ASPCA
• PetFinder.com
• The Humane Society of the United States

Image © 2008 Patrick McDonnell, muttscomics.com

Blogging for Prematurity Awareness Month

November is Prematurity Awareness Month.

Prematurity has been escalating steadily and alarmingly over the past two decades. In 2005, more than 525,000 infants were born prematurely, the highest number ever reported for the U.S. In 2005, the United States as a society paid at least $26.2 billion in economic costs associated with preterm birth (medical and educational expenses, loss in productivity).

Preterm delivery can happen to any pregnant woman. One in eight babies born is premature. In about four out of every 10 cases, the causes are unknown.

The March of Dimes has taken on this devastating problem—to find out what causes it and how it can be stopped.

Call To Action: How can you help?

1. Sign the Preemie Petition

2. Join Kristine’s Blogging for Prematurity Awareness campaign and help spread awareness

3. Comment, favor, and share (Twitter it, share on Facebook, Stumble it, etc) my Resources for Preemie Parents page.

4. Post the following button on your blog or site:

<a href=”http://www.marchofdimes.com?kbid=1685″ target=”_blank”><img src=”http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/girlie0226/mod_pam.gif” alt=”Support The March Of Dimes”></a>

Note: 100% of the proceeds from this link go directly to MOD.

While I have been personally touched by prematurity, The March of Dimes has touched your life if:

• Your baby received a vaccine to prevent polio
• Your baby received newborn screening to test for life-threatening but treatable conditions (such as the PKU heel stick test)
• Your baby spent time in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)
• You took folic acid before and during pregnancy to prevent brain and spinal cord birth defects
• You had a healthy baby due in part to good prenatal care

Thank you for your support.

Tuesday’s Tips

My 401k took a beating yesterday – a bad, bad beating. Luckily, our readily accessible funds were not effected like our long-term investments. Being in our mid-thirties, we’re not panicking – yet.

Are you starting to panic about the state of the US economy? I’d like to direct you to my archived podcast Economics 101 with Kristine McKinley. Kristine is a CPA and CFP who works for her clients, NOT some big firm. This is important to know because she’s NOT trying to sell you something – she’s just giving you the facts.

Take a listen to what Kristine has to say. Then come up with a game plan to weather this financial storm.

Oh, and let me know if you think I should do a follow-up with Kristine. Things have changed since our original interview. So if you’d like to know more or would like to know Kristine’s thoughts, leave a comment and let me know!

Now, after you listen to the podcast, head on over to BlogMommas.com for more Tuesday Tips!

Freebie Friday 4/25/08

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Episode #6

I’m switching gears for a few episodes and we’re going to discuss frugal living. This week I am joined by my friend, Kristine McKinley to discuss the current situation with the US economy. It’s basically a lesson in Economics 101 so we can better understand what the media is making such a fuss about.

We discuss how the media focuses on the negative, how the election year affects our economy and how does this all affect us. Kristine has some great information and explains to us what a recession is. She gives us some great ideas on what we should do now and what we can do to take advantage of the ‘down’ market. She also gives us a heads-up to a potential tax rebate check!

Kristine is a CPA and Certified Financial Planner. You can learn more about Kristine’s financial and tax planning services at her website www.beacon-advisor.com or her blog www.financialtipsforwahms.com.

We also take a moment to discuss Kristine’s new e-book Living Debt Free.

NOTE: The information in this show is Kristine’s opinion and advise. She is NOT predicting a recession nor depression. She is just explaining everything to us. Please contact your financial planner before making any decisions and changes to your portfolio.