My Inner Millionaire

We're cheap. Or frugal if you want to be pc about it.

Long before it was cool to be a frugalista I was one.

I don't own a flat screen TV or a Wii, but I contribute to my Roth IRA and my kid's college funds monthly.

Basically, I think my money looks cuter in a saving account than spent on expensive clothes.

I just finished reading a book that makes me feel better about my inexpensive wardrobe and the fact we're a double Toyota family (as opposed to all the BMWs and Lexus' cruising around my neck of the woods).

It's called "Stop Acting Rich and Live Like a Real Millionaire" by Thomas J. Stanley.

The author conducts surveys of millionaires and asks them all kinds of questions, such as what brand of suits they buy, what type of cars they drive and how much did their home cost.

Want to guess what type of car most millionaires drive? Good old reliable uncool Toyota.

Turns out most people who live in million dollar homes aren't actually millionaires. And more importantly aren't likely to become one even if they make good money because they are spending so much maintaining their lifestyles.

If you're looking for encouragement to stick to a budget this is a great read. I'm probably not doing it justice, but it was very interesting and definitely worth the time.

Have a great Wednesday folks!

P.S. I'd like to thank Tales from My Head for:

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Wedding Round Up

Things have been a bit wild here in the Unbitten house.

The baby went through one hell of a growth spurt. Normally she is a happy, easy baby, but this past week was brutal.

I'm nursing her so I spent the week ravenous and deliriously tired (and a little whiny if I'm being honest). At least she's cute.

The crazy week was topped off with a huge serving of insecurity.

We went to a wedding for one of my husband's coworkers last night. I used to work in the same building so the guest list included tons of people I haven't seen since my pre-baby days.

I was ridiculously nervous about the whole thing.

I'm within 10 pounds of my pre-pregnancy weight, but stuff isn't exactly where it used to be. I haven't had a haircut since January. I didn't get a chance to buy the killer new outfit like I had planned.

I'm normally pretty okay with my appearance, but this wedding put me in tail spin. (I blame the sleep deprivation.)

Once the wedding actually started, everything was fine.

I didn't look any use for the wear than the rest of guests. I got to eat a fantastic meal and show off my family.

And the kids put on a good show.

My three year old made a complete scene on the dance floor. He busted out moves I've never seen before and even picked up a brides maid or two.

My baby was the best accessory in the room in a silly frilly dress complete with hair bow.

It the end it was fun, but I'm ready for a low key day and a return normalcy this week.

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Taxing Thoughts

I don't mind paying a reasonable amount of taxes.

Obviously, I don't want to give away my money, but I appreciate roads, water treatment systems, public schools, libraries, knowing the department of defense has my back, and all the other wonderful things that go along with being an American citizen.

I understand that these things cost money.

This headline caught my eye - Nearly Half of US Households Escape Fed Income Tax

According to the article, about 47% will pay no federal income taxes for 2009.

I'm sure it makes sense to limit the taxation of the poor. But half the population?

The article also said "The bottom 40 percent, on average, make a profit from the federal income tax, meaning they get more money in tax credits than they would otherwise owe in taxes. For those people, the government sends them a payment."

Making a profit from taxes seems wrong to me. Really wrong.

I'm not sure how we should calculate a fair share when it comes to taxes, but I think it's pretty fair to say we're not there yet.
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“Elections should be held on April 16th- the day after we pay our income taxes. That is one of the few things that might discourage politicians from being big spenders.” - Thomas Sowell

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Naked With A Chance for Snow

On my last post, several comments suggested introducing quiet time now that my son stopped napping.

I have tried it, but things haven't gone smoothly.

Exhibit A: I heard my son yelling "wheeeee!" and a big thump over the monitor so I decided I better check out what was going on during "quiet" time.

He was riding his big wheel off his bed.

Exhibit B: After about a 15 minutes of suspiciously quiet time, I decided I better check on him.

He was dancing to his music, completely naked. I could handle this, but he's not potty trained and likes to pee on the floor. Luckily, the worst thing on the floor was pee.

Prior to this, I didn't even know he could take his clothes off by himself. Definitely noted.

Exhibit C: My son happily stayed in his room for an entire half hour. I timed it so that his quiet time coincided with the baby's nap. Basically I was feeling like a rock star and was giving myself all kinds of mental pats on the back.

Then I heard over the monitor "Mommy, it's snowing."

He had emptied an enormous brand new bottle of baby powder all over his room. (And gotten naked for good measure.)

Baby powder was everywhere. He was absolutely covered in it. His hair was entirely white.

He had opened his dresser drawers, sprinkled it in his closet, all over his bed, on every toy....you get the picture. It honestly looked like it had snowed.

I'm still not sure how he got the powder because it was up high on a shelf on the wall. Based on the trail of baby powder footprints going up his bookshelf, he must also be perfecting his spider man moves.

So I'm letting go of the dream of quiet time in his room.

The new routine is to for him to play quietly by himself in the living room after lunch so I get a few things done and can keep visual contact on him. So far it's working well and I haven't had any disasters.

At least my wild little man keeps things exciting!

P.S. I want to thank Just Making Our Way for this:

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Work in Progress

I wasn't the mother I want to be this past week.

My son abruptly dropped his nap about two weeks ago.

It's been a rough transition. My normally sweet son traded his halo for an impressive set of horns.

I resorted to the thing I know best - yelling.

My mom is a champion screamer. If yelling was an Olympic sport, my mom would be a contender for gold.

Turns out that I can do a spot on impersonation of her when properly motivated.

This is not a feat I'm proud of. Quite the opposite actually.

So I took a step back, let the house get dirty, ignored the laundry pile, and did a little soul searching.

I pulled out my parenting books and tried some new things. (I've always had good luck with No-Cry Discipline Solution by Elizabeth Pantley.)

And things are getting better. My son still acts like an overtired three year old, but at least I'm not acting like one myself.

It was scary to meet my inner banshee, but I think she is safely caged up again.

And I will continue to do everything in my power to be the mother my kids deserve.

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The Other Path

I just got an email from my old college roommate.

She's coming to DC for a few weeks at the end of June and wants to meet up.

It should be fun, but it will also be a touch weird.

You see, she took the other path.

We have similar backgrounds.

We had similar majors (both engineers) and started our careers with similar types of jobs. We got married around the same time and each had our second child late last year.

But here's the thing. When my first was born, I quit full time work. (I work very part time from home now, but since I logged in a whopping 15 hours last month I'm not even sure it counts.)

She went back to work full time when her baby was six weeks old, jumping right back into long working hours, business travel and a long commute.

Her husband's job has a similar time requirements so their kids are in childcare about 12 hours a day.

Our day to day lives couldn't be more different.

Most days, I'm content with my decision, but I am curious about the life I might have had. There are a lot of vaguely inappropriate questions I'd love to ask her.

I figure the conversation will probably be really polite and superficial. But maybe it won't.

I guess I'll see how all this turns out come June.

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My Miracles

Three years ago today I became a parent.

I know it's an overused cliche to say it's amazing how quickly the time goes, but it doesn't make it less true.

It really doesn't seem very long ago that I was handed a tiny blanket wrapped boy in the delivery room.

Now he's a running, yelling, wonderful wild three year old boy.

I don't think I fully appreciated how fast it would all go with my son. I was so caught up in the daily drama that I didn't step back enough and just enjoy him.

With my daughter, I have a much better appreciation for the baby phase. For better or worse, the sleepless nights just don't last very long.

My baby girl is only three months old and she has already changed so much. She flashes huge smiles, giggles and flirts like crazy. Her newest accomplish is rolling over (and she's quite proud of herself).

It's hard to accept that in a short time she'll be running after my son.

I just want to hit the pause button and keep them just the way they are a little longer.

Every single baby is a miracle.

Becoming a parent is an ordinary, every day miracle, but when it happens to you it is extraordinary just the same.

P.S. I wanted to thank The Green-Eyed Momster for this:

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