Trick-or-Treat...Have a Drink!

With the 4th Annual Goodnight Halloween Throwdown looming around the corner (tomorrow night at 7 pm to be exact), I have to write my "happiness" blog on just that- the Throwdown!

Why is it called a "Throwdown"? Well, a throwdown (according to Webster.com) is to make (a slam dunk) with exceptional force. A party on the other hand (again according to Webster.com) is a social gathering. My friends, this is far beyond a social gathering...this is a SLAM DUNK version of a social gathering. And, the exceptional force? Well, that refers to my flip cup team- our winning force is exceptional.

As LaQuisha (my Halloween alter-ego) prepares for tomorrow's festivities I recall some of my fondest Throwdown events:

#1: The 1st Throwdown and the PJ courtesy of the Harris' that ended up ALL DOWN our NEW concrete driveway.

#2: Again, the 1st Throwdown, LaQuisha ended up in the woods, behind the port-a-potty with leaves in her fro...all before 9 pm. (yes, it was THAT bad!)

#3: From the 2nd Throwdown, poor Matt and his tent 3" deep with water...yet he slept in it.

#4: A shout out from the 3rd Throwdown to the McCurdy's- how Lynn even asks Mike to dress up like a ballerina, I'll never know!

#5: And, from the 3rd Throwdown, Meg insisting that Dr. McDreamy check her out...but she was the bomb, like tick-tick.

For those of you who would like to know a few of our favorite Throwdown traditions, here they are:

1) Everyone must dress up...no excuses!

2) Best dressed single and couple win a prize...

3) Everyone brings beverages and food. Favorite foods include meatballs by Jimmie or Janna, mini sandwiches by Megan, and spinach dip by Carrie. Favorite beverages include PJ as mentioned earlier...that's a killer (literally) recipe. Mix 1 Everclear to 2 Hawaiian Punch + 1 Diet Sundrop + 1 Diet 7-Up. Add fruit as desired. Let sit AT LEAST 24 hours.

4) Corn-hole, flip cup, and dancing. Yes, dance to the beat...move those feet...like no one is watching!

From Throwdown #2: Bekah, Ally, Ashton, Carrie, LaQuisha, Meg

Have fun this Halloween- I know we will.

By all means, put on a silly costume, eat a mini-Snicker's bar...and raise your glass to being happy this Halloween season....Trick-or-Treat!

Until next week,

Erica



Plastic...A Girl's Best Friend

Today's post is regarding one of my fondest topics when people ask me about financing/budgeting/wealth - PLASTIC!

In today's world, credit cards can get you into a whole pile of problems, but if you know how to use them right, you can find yourself in a bigger pile of wealth.

When helping friends budget and when budgeting for our personal finances and our business, the credit card holds the key to all things wonderful, if and ONLY IF you know how to use them.

Keys to Credit Card Success:

#1: Use your credit card to buy everything possible- Groceries, clothes, car maintenance, even your home bills (many bills allow you to pay by credit card on their website)

#2: As SOON as you use the credit card, write down the transaction like you would a regular debit card or checking transaction. Yes, this means that you have to keep a checking ledger...as in, every time you make a deposit at the bank, that's a positive entrance into your ledger. Every time you make a purchase (transaction), that is a negative entrance into your ledger. A ledger (for you budgeting newbies) is simply a list of all things going into and out of your checking account. Why write down your credit card transactions as soon as you use the card? It's not coming immediately out of your checking account BUT the bill is right around the corner and that amount will have to come out of your checking account then, so go ahead and prepare your account for that happening! If you go ahead and write the credit card transaction, you won't "miss" the money when the bill arrives- the amount had already been reduced!

#3: As SOON as the credit card statement arrives, pay the FULL AMOUNT. To the penny!! This shouldn't be a problem since the amount of the credit card transactions were already reduced from your personal checking ledger. When you pay the bill you can either A) leave all the small transactions listed and make sure they balance to the credit card bill or B) erase the amounts (and add back in) all of the credit card listings and then make a permanent reduction to your checking account for the amount of the credit card bill. Why pay the full amount? You will find yourself in a pile of debt if you don't. Credit card people don't mess! They WILL and they CAN penalize you for not paying...and don't even think about paying the "minimum amount" because you will still accrue penalties for the amount that you didn't pay. That minimum amount due is no option...ignore that line all together if you want to have financial success!

#4: My FAVORITE part...reward yourself!!! We use BB&T Signature Visa- TONS of perks- HIGHLY recommended. In our Visa Reward's we get 1/100 per dollar spent back in reward points. For example, if we spend $1000.00, we get $10.00 in rewards. Not much you think? Think again! Add up all of your bills/checking transactions/etc. for just one month. You'll be surprised. And, it's free money (even Donald Trump wouldn't complain about free money)! In our business, we spend on average 21k per month on fuel (we run trucks all across America), so this comes to $210.00 in points every single month! These points can be spent on a plethora of things. My personal favorite are the Cash Cards that you can use anywhere, Fuel Cards, or restaurant gift certificates...even Starbucks! I like to accumulate our personal points for about 3-6 months. When a holiday or birthday is around the corner, BOOM! I have a free present!

So, swipe that card my friends! But, be smart in doing so. In a few months, you'll become a budgeting genius!

Our newest "big" credit card purchase...with Papaw Mo stuck inside while blowing it up!

For a side note: my title "Plastic...A Girl's Best Friend"...use your credit card in a smart way, accumulate those points, and you can get some plastic/saline/silicone that will be your husband's best friend!

Enjoy your day...I know I am as I sit here sipping my *FREE* Starbucks (using my credit card points, of course!)

Erica

Keeping Your Brain Healthy

"A jack of all trades, but master of none" is a common characteristic of most Americans- myself included. However, as I look behind my desk at the papers hanging on the wall (both which cost a fortune of time and money...not to mention the cost of the frames), I see that one says I'm a Bachelor of Science in Biology and the other says I'm a MASTER of Health Administration with a Concentration in Gerontology.

Just to clarify, I sell wood for a living. I manage trucks that venture throughout the entire United States- actually right now I'm tracking three train car loads of trim and plywood siding that is winding its way (too slow for my liking) from Oregon to North Carolina. But, since I am a MASTER of one thing...I'll use my MASTER expertise to write about health...I'll also use it later on to write about wealth...I'll never use it to write about happiness- I hated every minute I spent getting my Master's at UNCC.

My dissertation for my Master of Health Administration with a concentration in Gerontology consisted of studying the effects of Alzheimer's on today's generation. How will Alzheimer's affect the kids born in 1980s - 1990s? What can we do to slow the affects on us? On our parents (by the way, I especially hope my mom is reading this!!)?

I was SUPER excited to share a bit of my knowledge about the disease and about the traumatic affects is has on a family (my great grandmother suffered from severe dementia that put her back into her 3 year old self for years before she passed)- and while I was gathering a bit of information from my dissertation, I ran across an article in Family Circle entitled "Good Thinking". So, instead of boring you with scientific information on an already sad story- save your tears and headache medicine...here's a light hearted take on ways to avoid the disease using what I studied and what I read:

- Eat HEALTHY! What a hard subject, right? To reduce your risk of having Alzheimer's, maintain a diet that is high in fruits, nuts, legumes, vegetables and fish oils. Not too hard...especially when I mention the last portion...RED WINE! Yummy! Have a glass daily (special note to my generation- a serving size is about 1/2 of a typical wine glass).

- Think POSITIVE! Take off your grouchy pants, turn that frown upside down, quit fretting! Overproduction of hormones that are created when you stress over a situation have been shown to deteriorate your brain over time. This, my friends, is why they call my brain a "Mommy Brain"- I continually stress over my child and his well being. So, I'm going to be working on this one!

- Get rid of that BELLY JIGGLE! Keeping extra lb's around your waist line makes your brain shrink. Perhaps that's why most Santa Claus' act like a child? Cut out the sweets Santa! It's making your brain the size of a pea! Also on this topic is exercising...walking just 15 minutes a day has shown to reduce the risk of dementia.

- Do PUZZLES! Keep your brain active by doing puzzles, word games, Sudoku, even reading and writing. Try to count backwards instead of forward when you're counting. Plus, increase writing by writing "Love Notes to Self". This is a common in our household. We even have a paper on our fridge reminding us of chores that have to be done daily...including feeding the dog! Don't laugh, you'll have "Mommy Brain" one day too!

My Master's Graduation with Josh and Baby Gage (I was 6 months pregnant!)

Here's to reducing your risk of the #2 dreaded disease (behind cancer) in America. Here's to remembering your name, your children's names, your street name, your parent's names and most importantly...your lover's name!

Have a great day! Drink a glass of red wine for me tonight!

Erica

Who Will Love Me for Me?

Today's post is my first on happiness- and the last in my rotation for the week of health, wealth & happiness. 

So, what to write about? I have so many things to blog about when it comes to happiness- my childhood, my husband, and of course my baby boy. But, those things are SO expected and ALWAYS thought of when you're a married mother (but, they will be blogged on soon)!

What many of us forget about and what I wouldn't exchange for anything is what I was before I was Mrs. Josh Goodnight, before I was Gage's mommy, heck- before I even knew how to spell my name. Before all of those things I have become, I was a friend.

My friends are truly my happiness. No time nor distance can pull us apart. We love each other through thick and thin- through happy times and sad- through education and lack thereof. We rarely hold our tongues, we frequently pop the top, we always are a phone call (or text) away.

As a mother and wife, I know that it is often difficult to take time away from our husbands and children to have girl time- but it is NEEDED! So, for all you ladies reading this blog- pick up your DayPlanners and schedule a weekend. Us girls have done it all (minus Vegas...that's next on the list...Bekah's bachelorette party, perhaps?). We have vacationed in a tent on the river, we have flown to the southern most point in the USA for 8 days only to be followed by local creepers (ha!), we go to eat, we go to shop, we have holiday parties, we have Grey's Anatomy parties, we really get together for any good excuse to talk! Our next get togethers involve carving pumpkins, dressing up for Halloween and then a weekend get-away to our cabin in Virginia.

The song by JJ Heller says it the best when it comes to my friends: "Who will love me for me? Not for what I have done or what I have become." I love my friends for who they are (very diverse to say the least!), and I know they love me likewise.

Enjoy these snapshots of us...

Janna, Meg, me, Bekah, Carrie (missing Ally in this photo- it was her wedding!)- Summer 2011

Meg, Bekah, Janna, me (Gage in the belly), Carrie- Summer 2010

Ally, Janna, me & Carrie- the night that Gage entered the world!- August 25, 2010



Cheers to you...and your best of friends,

Erica

We wipe butts with dollars...

When I was pregnant, I thought that I could budget having a kid. WRONG! You can never begin to imagine how expensive these little boogers are until you have one of your own. Just to think of all the things a baby/toddler/kid/teen/adult needs is o-v-e-r-w-h-e-l-m-i-n-g.

While pregnant, I did decide that we would cut costs by making our own baby food (a topic I'll cover later), but there was NO WAY I was going with cloth diapers. Instead, "we wipe butts with dollars"- not literally of course, but diapers and wipes are pure gold!

You ask, where does the "wealth" part come in (remember, I promised I'd do a blog alternating health, wealth and happiness!?!?)...

#1: You have to allocate money to buy these diapers and wipes

#2: You have to spend time searching for ways to SAVE money on diapers and wipes

#3: You must find ways to reward yourself for buying wipes and diapers

Enter, budget queen Erica!

As for topic #1, I am a HUGE budgeter to say the least. Again, a topic we'll cover later. However, in brief, I choose to buy diapers in bulk when they are on sale. Even if I do not need them, I buy them. There's always a stinky butt to be changed later down the road. Also, allocate space on that baby registry! I thought that a few cases of each size would get me by...WRONG! An infant poops more times than seagulls...honestly. I don't see how they gain any weight! So, buy in bulk when they are already on sale in the store. Now onto #2: there are coupons galore for our brand, Huggies. But, again, you may have to buy diapers when they are not needed. I've never seen an expiration date on diapers (is there one??) so buying when there's a coupon is a must! In many cases of Huggies, there are coupons for the next case. SWEET! And, rewarding yourself (#3)for buying diapers? Not in the Starbucks run so to speak (although that's a GREAT reward for tired mama's), but in the diaper/wipe points. Yes. They are wonderful! Huggies uses Enjoy The Ride Rewards. I cannot begin to explain how many free things that we have gotten from this program. Feeding tools, learning tools, toys, coupons, music downlowads and even a pair of  Crocs! It's a bit time consuming to save the little labels inside the diapers packs but well worth it! And, you can't complain about FREE! Even Donald Trump wouldn't complain about free.

So, continue to wipe those butts with dollars all you little Mama's! But, find ways to save and reward yourself for doing so!

Our little butt...with his baby duck friends at Easter 2011

Until next time,

Erica

"New Age" Electronics...oh my!

As I was putting Gage down for his nap this morning, I began to ponder what I should write my very first blog on. As a relatively new mom, a TON of things swarmed into my head. Then I thought...what do I want my blog to be about? Lots of people blog about crafting...about photography...about their distress...but what about my blog? I've decided I want it to have the general theme of: health, wealth & happiness. I'll try to alternate what I write about for each day...starting today with health.

I was watching the news this morning and a clip came up about a toddler who LOVED an Ipad (this mommy would LOVE to have one too!!). Anyways, the story was that the toddler used the Ipad so much that she didn't understand how to flip the pages of a book and she didn't understand that she could just "touch" the book to make the next thing appear. Healthy for the brain? I think not. In no way am I saying that my family lives without exposing our 1 year old to electronics (he loves Baby Einstein movies, which he watches daily) but I am saying that for their brains to develop, they need healthy exposure to "non-electronic" devices. That's right parents, we have to drag out the books...dust off the rotary phone...open up the case of colored pencils and paper.

I have tried and tried to expose Gage to life without "New Age" electronics. And, yes, it's hard! Just yesterday we went to visit our Amish friends and we took a ride on their horse and buggy. Gage got to see life with no option of electronics. These kids have no Ipad, they've never seen a cell phone, they go outside to play...and that's what we did yesterday. I gave Gage a good ol' dose of healthy Country Air!

Enjoy the pictures...and please, sit down and read to your child. Turn off the T.V. and go outside to enjoy Gage's favorite activity- picking leaves! It's HEALTHY!

Our Buggy Ride yesterday with our great friend, Gabriel Schlabach and his little girl, Bethany.

"The Hungry Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle

Have a blessed Sunday!

Erica