Using allowance for slave labor

My oldest "K" had discovered the power of allowance recently, and my wife and I have discovered that you can really get your child to do more with motivated by money. Another great thing we have going for us is that "K" has her eyes on a pretty expensive toy, and will do darn near anything to earn the cash to get it. I can remember back to my youth, saving every last penny so I could buy something new for myself. It will be a double bonus when we can get our youngest, "R", to feel the same way, but staying true to her form she could care less about it....but she did say she would save up for a plastic set of golf clubs you can get at Wal-Mart for about $5. It's good to have goals.

PEACE OUT DADS!!!

Run Forest Run

There are many things in your life that you can't control. Sometimes those things can drive you crazy and/or effect your life in dramatic ways. The current economic crisis is really effecting my business and at the same time effecting my ability to find another job. This double whammy is driving me crazy and is completely out of my control. At the same time, there are many things we can control in our lives and sometimes it is those things that bring balance and calmness. For me one of those things I can control is my fitness level and exercise routine. Last year I found cycling to be a great way to get in shape. I bought a new road bike, signed up for the Seattle to Portland ride (200 miles in two days), started training and away I went. I could determine when, where and for how long I would ride. It gave me a great sense of control and provided me with a calmness that I needed to handle those parts of my life that I could not control. Right before the holidays I put the bike away and started running. Thanks to a new treadmill purchased with holiday gift money I kept a pretty good training program going and even ran my own half-marathon in January (not the best time to run a long distance outside in Idaho, but it was great and I finished it). I have now set my sights on my first full marathon this Memorial Day weekend. I am training hard and loving it. Most of my life I have been a runner competing on track teams and then running for fitness after my competition days were over. Because of an expanding waistline and sore knees I went away from running for many years. But, I decided that both of those excuses were things I could control, so I started slowly and began to run again. What has been an extra bonus is that my waistline has shrunk (almost back to my running weight in college) and because I am carrying less weight around my knees are not as sore. What a great deal that is. The college track team I ran for had a special one day camp for local elementary school kids so I took my first grade daughter and she had a blast, even said her favorite part was the hurdles (my event back in the day). If I could only pass one thing on to my children it would be a love of fitness, sports and physical activity. To me so many other great things can happen when you are fit and active. And it's something you can always control.

UNTIL NEXT TIME...DAD IN TRAINING OUT!

Hawaiian Dreaming

Last year our family took an amazing trip to Hawaii. We stayed in Kona on the big island with my wife's family for 10 days of extreme relaxation. It had been over 10 years since my last trip to the Hawaiian islands for our honeymoon. My wife and I took several hundred pictures during the trip and I made a little music video with them so we could always remember the fun we had. This year didn't look good for a family vacation so I decided this cold, dreary winter weekend to pull out the video to live a little of the dream and torture myself at the same time. Shortly after I hit play I had the whole family watching with me, dreaming of going back some day. Then, in a blink my wife was out of the room and on the computer. I didn't think too much of it because she does operate an online business so she likes to check for new orders now and then. When she called my in about 10 minuets later I was starting to think...is she??? What I saw on the computer screen almost made me giggle with joy. The home page for Alaska airlines with itineraries for Hawaii. Had my wife been reading my mine for the past couple of months? In our family she has the tight purse strings, always looking to saving money and never really the one to suggest minute spending. I on the other hand am a bit more impulsive when it comes to money and spending. But, with the tougher times we have really had to watch where and what we spend our money. It took very little convincing before we were looking at all the options. before long with some serious research, a lot of airline miles and a companion ticket we were booked, leaving in just over three weeks for a 14 day trip back to Kona. HECK TO THE YEAH!!! I consider myself a pretty easy going laid back kinda guy, but I am just about to jump out of my skin thinking about it. And the best part it really is going to be inexpensive for us to go. I am all about experiences over material items so the thought of putting a little extra money towards this trip makes total sense to me. Look for my next few posts for the next three weeks to be flavored with a little Hawaii talk.

UNTIL NEXT TIME...MALAMA PONO!

Bloody Plasma Valentine

During these tough economic times families are finding new and creative ways to earn a little extra cash. Blogging can actually earn you money so, here is hoping this turns into something. Another way to get a little extra coin is to donate plasma. Here in our little town we have a plasma donation center that pays you cash for your donation. I've only donated blood once in my life and it was not a very good experience, so the thought of donating plasma was not very enticing, that is until I found out what they use it for. It really is incredible how many helpful uses there are for human plasma (check out this link http://www.joinbiomedics.com/). So today I made my 5th donation and in the process have made $170. Not bad for a few hours time sitting around watching TV while a machine does all the work. I decided to take my girls out for Valentines day with my plasma money. Eating out for us has really taken a plunge on our list of priorities and I wanted to do something special for my three valentines. We had a great time and I feel pretty guilt free about spending the money. I recently read an online article saying that most Americans prefer spending money on experiences instead of material object. I could not agree more. Give me a night out with my family over anything I can find in the store!

UNTIL NEXT TIME...DAD IN TRAINING OUT!!!