If You're Going to Have a Credit Card

Just for the record - I think credit cards can be very dangerous. I'm sure I'm not the only one. I think I've mentioned before that our daughter, Beth doesn't ever want to have a credit card. I think that's a very healthy attitude, and I hope she sticks to it. Not necessarily never having one, because it doesn't seem possible to live in today's society without at least one, but at least I hope she keeps the attitude that being in debt is a bad thing. The problem is that most of us start out young, and the credit card companies are more than happy to give us as much credit as possible - and we're not smart enough not to use it use it use it. Suddenly one morning, we wake up and we're so deep in debt that we don't think we'll ever make it out. Best not to get into that situation in the first place, and I hope my kids never do.

My anti-credit rant aside, I do think it's important to have at least one credit card. You can't rent a car or stay in a hotel without one, to name a couple reasons. Just having a credit card does not mean the credit card companies get to control you, unless you choose to let them. I strongly believe in using those credit cards to my benefit. If I can get a good balance transfer fee of say, 0%, I have been known to take advantage of that. Right now we don't have any balances to transfer, so the credit card I'm going to use is the one that gives me the best reward. I have been using Discover for most things, but I'm currently switching over to my Chase card because they gave me better rewards. On Credit Rate, my Chase card is currently listed at the top of the page as the best card overall. That makes me feel pretty good, but if someone has different needs than I do, then another card might be a better one for them. You can search for cards based on interest rate, rewards, or even on how good your credit rating is, and then apply right there online. I like that better than all the junk mail I get, constantly offering me new credit cards. Not that being able to search credit card offers online is going to stop the junk mail.

There is also a lot of helpful information on this site such as a guide to balance transfers, and information on getting out of credit card debt - things that, when applied properly, can help to keep credit cards from being so dangerous.

For Parents of Teenagers

Following a reply and a link or two the other day, I came across this site, Parenting My Teen. When I first started really using this blog, I wanted to have a place for all the various parenting resources I found around the Internet. There is so much information out there, but sometimes it's hard to find exactly the thing you are looking for. Then, sometimes I find something I think I can really use - and I forget to bookmark it or save it in any way. Sometimes, I never find those things again. This list of Parenting Articles is one of those things. I found it the other day, and I thought there was some very useful stuff here. I was particularly interested in the article on teen curfew because that was one of the issues that started me searching for resources in the first place. We still haven't gotten that completely figured out, so hopefully this can help.

Of course, the other day when I found these articles, I ended up closing my browser without saving it. Luckily I found my way back this evening, and I'm not losing it again. I'm posting it safely here in my blog where I can find it in the future, and if it helps you too, then that's even better.

Dreams Don't Just Happen

With two kids in high school, the discussion about what they are going to do with their lives comes up quite often. Beth thinks she wants to go into interior design, mainly because they had a unit in their 8th grade FACE class, and this came really easily for her. I don't doubt that she has the talent, and she could do anything she wanted to do. However, she doesn't really want to put any effort into it, and she's always complaining that there are no classes in high school that relate to interior design at all. We just can't get through to her that, she still needs to do her best in school, whatever the classes, or it could hurt her in the future when it comes to pursuing her dream of being an interior designer.

Maybe something like The Dream Online Community would help? This FREE forum is dedicated to giving dreamers the chance to connect, share their dreams, and help each other to achieve those dreams - whether dreams of prosperity and wealth, making a difference, or of doing something you love. There aren't many members or posts yet, but they are just getting started.

Beth really needs someone besides her parents to tell her that yes, her dream can come true, but she will have to work at it. I don't think her friends are telling her. They all seem the type to want more and then expect someone to hand it to them. It's hard to watch, when we want so much more for our daughter.

Global Warming - Blogging Style

A good way for a blog to get established is to have backlinks. So Vic Grace at Cariboo Ponderer came up with the idea of 'Warm the Globe thru Friendship'.

"As we are all aware, blogging does give us the opportunity to reach out and yes, 'touch someone' by our words, pictures, links in our blogs and by our comments to fellow bloggers as well.Think about this - in a world today that is too often filled with news of wars all over the world, fears about terrorism, following newspaper and tv news reports about crime, gangs, and you name it of all the bad things we hear about everyday, wouldn't it be a wonderful thing if we, each of us blogging in our own little space, could actually spread the word through friendship and help, through that little bit of effort, to bring people together, united in a common goal of international friendship?"

All you have to do is copy this post with the list of links below and add your link at the end. As others do the same we get the word out about a lot of great blogs. Eventually we may circumnavigate the globe.

That’s it, then just sit back, and watch the links grow, over time. (and don't forget to visit these great blogs!)

• Cariboo Ponderer
• Down River Drivel
• Me, my life, my garden
• Author blog
• A little piece of me
• The BiPolar Diaries
• Turning the Pages of Life
• Skittles Place
• A Place I Call Home
• Time With Shelby
• Beth & Cory's Mom
  

Tails: September 11th

Today we're focusing on our reflections or memories of the 9-11 terror attack. My view and my memories are all from a distance, but Christie was living in New York at the time, and she shares her first-hand experiences. If you only have time to read one, this is the one: Tails: September 11th. Very moving.

Heads or Tails - September 11

Barb at Skittle's Place has started a weekly meme. Every Tuesday, she calls Heads or Tails, and we get to play along. Today, it's Tails.

September 11: TAILS - Your reflections or memories of the 9-11 terror attack.

It's hard to believe that it has been 6 years since the 9-11 terror attack. I remember it was a day like most other days. The kids had gone to school, and I was having my coffee and breakfast, perhaps paying some bills, and figuring out what all I was going to do that day. Like most mornings, I was watching Good Morning America. They broke into the regular programming to tell us that something had happened at the World Trade Center, but no one was quite sure what. As they were talking about it, with a camera trained on the building and the smoke coming from it, the 2nd plane came out of nowhere and crashed into the other tower.

About this time, I was talking to my husband on the phone - to be sure they had heard what was going on at his work. After that, I was glued to the tv, waiting to see what would happen and praying that those people would make it out safely. Never having been to New York, I did not realize until later the size of those towers and the numbers of people affected. When I saw that 2nd plane crash into that second tower, I thought it must be a small plane. I had no idea that it could possibly be a full-size commercial airplane. I watched until the towers collapsed, and then watched it happen again and again - feeling completely numb and in complete disbelief. How could something like this happen? How could someone do something like this? Questions that still don't have satisfactory answers - even after 6 years.

Alan Jackson - Where Were You 9/11 Tribute


Join more Heads or Tails participants as they remember the 9-11 terror attacks and share your own memories and experiences.

Do You Take Online Quizzes?

Every once in a while I see some fun quizzes I want to take - just so I can find out how they define me. Today I took this Personality Type quiz on Quibblo. I think it's pretty accurate. Here are my results:

• Shy Personality Type
  

  You keep pretty much to yourself, and mostly open-up to those who are really, really close to you—your family and best friends, which also means you’re really trustworthy and loyal. You tend to be quiet and sometimes get embarrassed easily.

Personality Type Quiz

How far ahead have you planned your life?

	I’ve pretty much figured out the next year
	I live in the moment
	I have a strategic five-year plan for success
	I daydream years into the future, but no real plans
	I have plans but know they could change at any moment
	I try to adjust my plans often based on new information

Question 1 out of 18

Personality Test by Quibblo

Aren't you glad I'm not so shy online? Oh, come on - you know you are. If you're interested in seeing what the quiz has to say about your personality, you can take it too. If you're not interested in this quiz, there are others to choose from, or you can create your own. I'm not good at coming up with questions - in fact, I'm not even that good at coming up with answers - so I didn't try that. I'll leave that to you.

Because of You

We're watching this video on CMT right now. It's the #1 video of the week. I have no idea how these things are determined, and there have been videos that made it to #1 that I never even would have put in the top 20 - but they don't ask me. If they had asked me, I would have definitely voted for this one. Reba's videos are great. She's so expressive, and that voice. I love anything with Reba. She's amazing! We even saw her in concert years ago. That lady can certainly put on a show!



Even Beth likes Reba. She likes music of all kinds. I remember hating the music my parents listened to. Maybe we're just cooler parents than they were?

Too Funny!

David over at authorblog pulls together several posts every day that are definitely worth reading. He's even linked to a couple of my posts! I think it's a great idea, and really enjoy reading the posts he recommends. You just have to read this one from today. I bet you can't read it without laughing.

Sempre Fi

We have a couple of friends who are U.S. Marines. Actually they are the sons of our friends, and I get many emails from their mom, who is so proud of them - as well she should be. There is also the stress involved and the worry when they are deployed. Both of them have spent time in Iraq, as well as other deployments, and, even though they are not my own sons, it hurts almost as much when people disrespect the military. These are young men who are doing what they believe in. If someone does not come forward, stand up, and defend this country, where will we be? Does this mean I ever want my son to join the military? Not necessarily - like I said, I've seen the stress and the worry - but, if he chooses to do so, I will be extremely proud of him and support him all the way. I might even start collecting Military coins or some kind of military collectible. I'd at least need a bumper sticker!

Remember, each one of those military members is someone's son or daughter, brother or sister, husband or wife. They are doing what they believe in to give everyone else the right to do whatever they believe in. A little support wouldn't hurt.