Here is something special for you! This is just too good not to
pass on to all. Here is something absolutely positive for a change.
I have repeatedly seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child,
but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way.
It’s nice.

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140.00 for a middle income family. Talk about price shock! That doesn’t even touch college tuition. But $160,140.00 isn’t so bad if you break it down. It translates into:
* $8,896.66 a year, * $741.38 a month, * $171.08 a week. *
A mere $24.24 a day! * Just over a dollar an hour. Still, you might
think the best financial advice is: don’t have children if you want
to be ‘rich.’ Actually, it is just the opposite.

What do you get for your $160,140.00? * Naming rights. First, middle,
and last! * Glimpses of God every day. * Giggles under the covers
every night. * More love than your heart can hold. * Butterfly kisses
and Velcro hugs. * Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm
cookies. * A hand to hold usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites. * Someone to
laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your
stocks performed that day.

For $160,140.00, you never have to grow up. You get to: * finger-paint, * carve pumpkins, * play hide-and-seek, * catch lightning bugs, * never stop believing in Santa Claus. You have an excuse to: * keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh, * watch Saturday morning cartoons, * go to Disney movies, and * wish on stars. You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clayfor Mother’s Day, and cards with backward letters for Father’s Day.

For a mere $24.24 a day, there is no greater bang for your buck.
You get to be a hero just for: * retrieving a Frisbee off the garage
roof, * taking the training wheels off a bike, * removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool, * coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and
* coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated
to ice cream regardless. You get a front row seat in history to witness
the: * First step, * First word, * First bra, * First date, * First
time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree,and if you’re lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great-grandchildren. You get an education in psychology,nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match..

In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!

Love and enjoy your children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren!!!!!!! It’s the best investment you’ll ever make!!!!!!!!! ~ljl~

I’m evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they’re letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.

It covers:

• The best blogging techniques.
• How to get traffic to your blog.
• How to turn your blog into money.

I’ll let you know what I think once I’ve had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it’s still free.

I want you to take a look at: Free Ebook: Thriving on Less – Simplifying in a Tough Economy 

Seems I have been reinventing myself forever, or is it just that constant work in progress/process thing. Since I first jumped into the so called “river of blogging”, I must confess I got intimated (still am) with the prospect of writing and revealing much about all that “popcorn” exploding in my head.

Took a communiversity writing class the weekend after Christmas, met some great people, and renewed my focus on writing, sharing, participating in this world of communication, development via the internet. Also, have more respect, intimidation for writing and writers, but as they say, “just DO IT!”

I want this “blog” to be a sharing and exchanging of thoughts, feelings, things found/learned/experienced on the internet and in life. My wish is that we may reconnect, share and assist each other on our journey with insight, compassion, information and gratitude that we can.

Seems the whole world finds itself in serious reevaluation, reinvention mode. My thoughts are that with this collective turmoil we find the world in, we have a wonderful opportunity, to create a fabulous place with amazing, enlightened beings as we come out the other side. My intent is to fearlessly face each situation before me with steadfast assuredness that I/we can all get through this and the magic that is ours is before us.

Hope this isn’t too pie in the sky, oh well if it is. I truly feel we haven’t tapped our richest core and wish to support those whose intent is to find their greatest passion.

Links, things shared here are from those serendipitous discoveries found while cruising this webthing that intrigues me so. Explore, let me know what you found that you want to share.

Ciao, must get to that organizing files and cleaning the pile of papers off the table thing I’ve been avoiding.

Peace & blessings,

Lynda / ~ljl~

if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget(‘aaeae7ba-aba0-45c5-af17-1682fe135d05′);Join the Widgetbox Network Musings, etc. Channel at Widgetbox.comGet the Widgetbox Blog Network: Musings, etc. widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox!

Sign up for daily “Notes from the Universe” ~ great way to start your day! Lots of incredible, fun, loving life stuff to treat yourself good or share with friends. Enjoy! ~ljl~