I am not COMPLETELY anti - Dave Ramsey

You know Dave Ramsey?


Assumedly nice guy, formerly bancrupt, financial guru.. making millions.


I listen to his radio show..  Churches teach his financial theories during the work week.  I really do like him ..I just disagree with him about ONE thing...


Listen to me when I tell/write you.. "DO NOT FOLLOW HIS ADVICE IN REGARDS TO YOUR CREDIT SCORE."


Ultimately your credit score will improve if you pay your bills on time and get that balance down -- as he advises.


BUT!  Lack of attention to a credit score WILL make it hard for you to do other things (unless, of course, you're Dave Ramsey and you have millions in cash to do whatever you want.)

You will pay higher insurance rates on auto and home policies.

You may not get a job you want when your potential employer runs a credit check.

Not to mention you will not get a mortgage with a good interest rate if you have a low credit score.  Dave's not worried about that -- because he wants you to pay cash for your house. 

Grrrrr!!!!!!! 

Don't feel guilty about putting a mortgage on your home! 


Of course don't bite off more than you can chew...

YOU DON'T HAVE TO USE ALL THE MONEY THE BANK IS WILLING TO LOAN YOU.

Use your head.. follow Dave's advice.. it's good stuff.. but (I beg you) guard your credit score.. It's too valuable not to!

Taking my kids to the office.. The DANGERS and the DELIGHTS

You know why kids are so quick to learn techno stuff?  B/c they aren't afraid they'll hurt anything.  They'll press whatever buttons they want.. they don't know it might destroy a small village.

Meanwhile.. 'Know why I'm afraid to take my kids to the office?  I'm afraid they'll destroy something!

The kids playing "Weather Girl" in the back conference room.

They're cute and they're fearless.. 

My co-workers are the best group of people --bar none-- anywhere! 

AND MY KIDS LOOOOOVVVVEEEE THEM!

And that brings me to danger #1.. The kids can't decipher between "nice people" and "hard working professionals."

Example.. My broker has an open door policy.  My youngest finds that very inviting... and she's a talker!

Let's see... Danger #2.. The kids get too comfortable with the office stuff. 

Example.. One of my co-workers has a "junk food drawer" or as my kids call it..."the second drawer on the right!"

Is it possible I could think of one more?.. Danger #3.. The kids make NOISE!

Example.. "Mom!! She said I couldn't have that!"  "Mom!!  She hit me!"  "Mom!! She won't give me that!"  "Mom!! Can I have a drink?"

I get very nervous...  (but can't look nervous.. b/c that makes the kids sound louder..)

HOWEVER...  Thru all the "sushing" and the "stay here while I go to the copier" and the "stop doing that or you won't be able to watch TV tonight!" ...I'm doing something that I absolutely will NOT be able to do in only a few months.  I'm (actually) enjoying something that I will -- in only a few months -- think about in the middle of the day ...and wish I was still doing.  The kids are getting out of the house and finding out what grown ups do.. what Mommy does, and on some days what Daddy does.  I get to have my arm around their little waists while I talk to a client on the phone.  I get to watch them create highlighter art and post it booklets.  (Danger #4.. they go thru A LOT of my office supplies!) 

It may be b/c I'm the Momma and I'm blind to what others think about them.. b/c I find them sooo irresistible.. but gosh darn it.. I really do think the delights out weigh the dangers.. but the dangers drive me cccrrraazzzzyyyy!!

As long as I can keep them from monopolizing the receptionist or bugging my broker.. I've got a few more months/weeks of sweetness ...and then (oh shoot!) ....I'm on my own. 

How to be an amatuer runner

And when I say "amatuer" -- I almost mean PRETEND.

I never in a million wild dreams would have pictured myself as a runner -- not even in my youth.. as a little girl who only played outside from sun-up to sun-down, I STILL was never one to "wear myself out"  ..running made my side hurt ...so I avoided it.

BUT one day ('bout 10 years ago) an idea so novel entered my (by this time) sedentary brain.. I just came out and asked myself "Why CAN'T I do it??"

I lived in Farrington Grove and I went for a walk.  Got to the start of one block and challenged myself to run to the end of it.. NO stopping until I got there.  I would WILL myself to the end of the block.. arms flailing.. breathing extremely loud.  (I still don't concern myself with "form" :)

One block led to two, led to three, ...and now (no kidding!) 3 MILES.

I run through my neighborhood, mapped the route with my car.  I've been doing this on a fairly regular basis (most of the time taking the winters off) for 8 years.

No doubt about it -- the best weight loss aid there is.

PLUS a great way to meet my neighbors!  There's a lot of waiving going on, smiles, hello's. 

I think it's a great way for people to come to know me.  Every-once-in-a-while I stop for a conversation.. get a chance to tell people what I do..

Tonight, through the music in my ears, I thought I could hear my name.. I turned around and it was a little group of kids that know me from Erin's school.  It's a great pick-me-up to get these waves and hear my name called out.

It's also a great fount for funny stories.. of late these stories are mostly about the neighborhood dogs.  There's a pitbull that sees me coming everytime.  No matter where she is in her yard, she runs toward the fence as if her hairs on fire!  Barking and growling at me.. she never jumps over the fence (but, I REALLY think she could and just doesn't know it.) 

Well, one day I was headed towards her yard.. so I am thinking about her, with my music in my ears, wandering if this might be the day she realizes she can jump over the fence..  I hear the barking/growling out of the corner of my eye I see the dog ..SHE'S OUT OF THE FENCE!  I -- screamed -- bloody -- murder ...then I realized it was not her ..it was a dachsund I look up and the owner is standing in front of me.  She's yelling at me "She won't bite!!"

I have said that I run as if I'm running on the moon... I'm REALLY VERY slow...

Last week I was running by this REALLY VERY elderly looking gentleman standing there with a dog on a leash (a dachsund btw.) He says something to me but I can't hear over my music.  I take the bud out of my ear..

"What's that?" I ask. 

"You need to run a little faster!"

You know, no matter what you do.. you will have a critic!

One last thing.. Running gives me a great opportunity to THINK.  I suggest everybody give it a try.  Start with one block.  I like to listen to music.  I change it up -- but right now it's Need to Breathe, a couple of Adelle songs, Nelly, an obscure song that Matt found for me a couple of years ago called "Gasoline" unfortunately it's not on Youtube or I would add it here.. I love that one. 

Here's a Need to Breathe song that I like to run to.. The songs don't have to be fast.. they just have to be enjoyable.  The time your running doesn't have to be hard.. make it what you want it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XXW2I68IXE

I hardly remember how today started.  I know I pulled into the parking lot at my office and thought.. I've done well.. both kids are dropped off and now I've got a few moments to get things done.  From there.. it gets foggy.

LUCKY NUMBERS

Yesterday I wrote an offer for a client.  She wanted to incorporate her lucky numbers into the offer...

"I would like the offer to be 85,034.22"  She said.

"I've never written an offer with cents," I said, "and I'm not real comfortable with that."

Well, it turns out that the Bears won the SuperBowl in '85.  Walter Payton's number was 34.  And there's another important guy that wears the number 22.

"Ok,"  I say, "What if we offer a whole number and ask to close on May 22nd?"

She said that would work b/c apparently the Bears are red tagging/shirting this 22 guy.

So, I give the offer to the seller's agent.  We are aware there is another offer on this house and they are in a counter situation.. but the seller's agent say he likes our offer and will present it to his client along with the other counter.

Today was a long day.. but the last client I spoke to -- only a few minutes ago -- by phone  -- was this girl with the LUCKY NUMBERS.

I said I was sorry to have to tell her that her offer was not accepted.  The counter offer was $1000 more and even though the seller's agent thought our offer had other things in it that were better for his client.... the seller chose to accept the other counter.

Without missing a beat my client responds:

"The Bears won the Super Bowl in the 85 season ..but the year was 86."

Imagine that! 

I'm learnin' as I go!

See these eggs?  I found them today while scrounging up old plastic eggs to hide for the kids. 

Amazingly, I managed to find 35 that were given to us by different grandparents.  (Thank you...they REALLY came in handy today!)

However, these 8 eggs... I remember buying them 4 years ago for my little preschooler.  She was going to have an Easter Egg Hunt at school.. her first year of preschool.. first Easter Egg Hunt at any school.. maybe even first hunt ever.. we DO shelter these kids!

She was to bring 8 eggs with her name on them for the teachers to hide and then hunt, hunt, fun, fun... Yay!  (See how I put the heart on the "I"?  I thought it made them EXTRA special...)

Would you have known to put candy in the eggs?

I really don't remember that being anywhere on the paper...

But, ALL the other kid's eggs had candy in them. 

The little kids went outside, hunted for their eggs, brought them back into the classroom, opened them up, ate their innards (candy), and had an Easter Party.

Woops..

This year I knew to put candy in Gina's school eggs.

(These are not them.. these are from today... we put change and candy canes in their eggs for the "Home Hunt."  It was either that or steal from their baskets..)

We learn as we go! 

We learn to put the candy in the eggs..

We learn what the kids will and won't eat..

We learn what pushes our husbands buttons..

We learn the best way to negotiate with other realtors..

We learn how to be successful..

We learn what habits are harmful..

We learn how to be a better believer..

AS WE GO!
(Or were you born knowing all this stuff?? ...That would just not be fair!)

The best laid plans...

I am sitting across from this little group.. It's 12:05am.. Matt's Birthday. 

The girls and I have an entire day planned starting at 8:00am.. We've been giggling about it and susshing each other and clapping our hands when we think about it ...for the last 24 hours.  They were certain that they would be going to bed early tonight so they'll be able to get up when we need to ..to start Daddy's birthday. 

Well, it took longer than I thought to go to the grocery store, put things away, get things out, make some of those dishes we wanted to give him..

In the meantime they were watching a movie and fell asleep.. Now here they lay.. after midnight..

Happy Birthday Matt!