It's a Goode Life: Goode Math

Ever since the 8th grade I have had a claim to fame-- I am awful at math.

Ya see, my Pre-Algebra teacher had a knack for telling my class we were stupid and I had a knack for believing her... That was the first time I ever got a C in school. I knew my parents were going to kill me. However, I think they were secretly thrilled because their A student was making a D at midterm that semester so the C was welcomed. While I won't blame all of my post 8th grade "mathness" or lack there of on that one awful experience, it did set my little young mind on a trajectory that I put a stop to just this weekend.

I have always been all for knowing and playing to your strengths, but this new found dumbness in math allowed me to hide behind my weakness for ahhh ...say... um... the last 18 years.

Now with that said, I didn't enjoy most math. Except for a brief stint with Geometry (which I loved), high school math frustrated me and I wanted nothing to do with it.

I am serious.

When the guidance counselor asked me what I wanted to major in at college, I told him "Whatever does not involve math."

Truth is, around college I realized that I was decent at most logical math problems and when put in a position where I had to do it, I would do just fine. However, this did not fit my comfy image that I had built so I went plugging along being "dumb at math".

This would later bleed over to being "bad at Excel". I am a quick learn at any computer program. I have self taught myself very difficult and technical software time and time again. Yet, for "some reason" Excel just eluded me...(more like the motivation to learn Excel eluded me...lol).

Many of you know that I am a Lou Tice fan. Lou talks a lot about our thoughts and the things we focus on and tell ourselves. Frankly, Tice would kick my butt if he ever heard me talk about math the way I have described. Tice encourages you to focus on the goal, not the problem. Much like driving, where you focus your thoughts is where you will end up.

So, if I am set on driving myself to being "dumb at math" then that is exactly what I will get. But, the reverse is true. If I focus on improving my math skills that will be what I get... hmmm there is a thought. Could striving for self improvement be better that wallowing in ignorance as a poor dumb girl who is bad at math? And, more importantly--What do I want Addie to see in me?

So with that, this weekend I decided all this silly self-math-talk was going to come to and end and I volunteered to be the Ramsey "nerd" to put our budget in writing in Excel. I put together our draft budget. And, guess what? I was darn good at it. I got formulas and numbers flying all over the place. I am color coded and auto-updated --oh and most importantly-- balanced ;)

I am so thankful that God blessed us with the opportunity to join the Financial Peace University class at our church literally weeks after he laid it on our hearts to begin reading Dave Ramsey's book. It has definitely brought us financial peace and as you can see, so much more. All this and we are only through week 2!

BTW- If you want to find a class in your area, just enter your zip code at http://www.daveramsey.com/ .

Oh and if you don't know Tice, do yourself a huge favor and get to know him. You can join his PX2 group on facebook and get daily emails with fantastic thought provoking material straight from Lou.

It's a Goode Life: Goode Visit

I apologize that this week has been a little sporadic on the blog front. Between the moving my office at work and getting knee deep in our budgeting homework with our FPU class, I haven't had much time for blogging.

However, here I am and I have lots to catch up on :)

Yesterday I had the day off from work, so we packed up the SUV and truck to head out to Grandma Goode's. Mommy and Daddy needed to go cut some firewood and Addie... well Addie needed some Granny time!

Funny thing about our road trip out there... I learned that kiddos are never too young to be embarrassed by their parents.

We were jammin' to a little TobyMac. And mommy was...ahem... getting her Jesus Freak on and turned to look at Add. Add in turn was smirking with her eyes shut and her little arm extended with a thumbs up--like yeah mom, you're...um ... cool.

Anyhoo, after my child's traumatic experience, we arrived at Granny's for some goode ole time with:

 Grandma

Papaw

And DUKE!!!

 

Addie sure does love Duke

A LOT

She had a great time visiting Grandma too ;)

She played with her Been-NOCK-cuelers

And even did some Potty-Time

With her boots on of course!

We had some much fun, we were pooped (no pun intended ;) ) by the time we got home.

I always love seeing Miss Add with her grandparents. She has so much fun experiencing each one of them (and their animals).

It's a Goode Life: Bye, bye Big

Mr. Big is no longer with us.

Fear not. He is still alive and kickin'.

He has just had to find a new home.

Ya see, he is a Corgi and Corgi's love to herd things.

I mean REALLY LOVE to herd things.

I have seen him herd a tin can.

Problem is that he began to confuse this:

with this:

The size difference would not even phase him.

Mom says it is my fault-- that I named him Big and he believed me.

I was worried sick that I was going to come home and find a greasy spot in the road. So, we found a family friend with LOTS of land, animals (including sheep) and most importantly--NO MAC TRUCKS.

We are going to miss Ole Biggie boy, but we are really happy he has a new home where he is happy!

It's a Goode Life: More to life than peeing in my pants

Life coach moment ahead:

My little life coach has been up to it again ;)

So my little tot is beginning to seriously consider potty training. She officially got her first set of big girl panties this weekend.

This was a life changing moment for her.

Suddenly with this one simple change, she became aware of something that she would have been content with-- without this change.

Up until this weekend she could pretend to go potty and maybe even do it a couple times, but was content to wet her diaper/pull-ups--her safety net. Truth is, until big girl panties came into her life, she really never knew how awful wetting her pants could be or even how she could keep from wetting in her diapers.

Big girl panties came right in her life and changed the stakes.

Makes me wonder if sometimes we aren't wearing diapers in life and we need some big girl panties to wake us up and tell us that there is more to life than peeing our pants...

It's a Goode Life: To be or not to be

Dear Mean People, Persons with Mean Streaks and Those Who are Occasionally Mean-

I know the bumper sticker says you suck, but I believe you can do better.

Meanness is a choice after all.

Times are tough, spirits are low, but you can make a difference.

You, dear mean persons, have the power to make someone's day or at least not ruin it.

Dictionary.com says "mean" means:
offensive, selfish, or unaccommodating; nasty; malicious: a mean remark; He gets mean when he doesn't get his way; small-minded or ignoble: mean motives.

I bring this up not to point fingers nor to state the obvious, but as a preface for a challenge to you, my dear mean persons.

I challenge you to take one day this week. Any day-- there are 7 glorious days to choose from after all.

On that day I challenge you to abstain from any mean activities. Just one day.

For that day, please refrain from the following:

• Kicking puppies
• Hurting someone intentionally
• Name-calling/Talking trash
• Putting tacks on people's chairs
• Using "honesty" as a weapon
• Being mean because it is a badge you wear proudly
• Tripping children

Instead, on this one day, please try one or more of these on for size:

• Smile at someone
• Give someone a break
• Help someone with something small
• Write a thank you or thinking of you note (Be nice)
• Do something unexpectedly nice for someone

I know you can do this. I have a feeling you are just misunderstood.

Thank you in advance for your efforts to suck less.

Sincerely,
C

Note: This note is not directed at a specific person or persons but at society as a whole. However, I do believe it IS a direct result of me reading WAYYY too much http://www.passiveagressivenotes.com/ .  

It's a Goode Life: Baby-making

So Puddie has this way of describing people. 

It goes a little something like this...

"That girl is pretty.  She looks a little like Julia Roberts.  Oh no, I know ...if Julia Roberts and Kate Beckinsale had a baby, it would look like that girl."

"Hey that guy looks like Alton Brown. Like if Alton Brown and Ron Howard had a baby"

You get the picture...

Tonight was no different. I get home and he says out of nowhere "John Cusack!"

"Huh?!?"

"If John Cusack had a baby with....." (He lost me.)

This game gets a little interesting because I know no more than 25% of the names of  actors and other persons of interest that he knows. He is like an encyclopedia of obscure faces and names.

So I am usually just nodding because I have NO clue who he is talking about.

He has this amazingly weird knack. Maybe it is his God given gift because he was meant to keep track of all this baby making;)

So you have officially been warned ;)

Watch out or he'll have you making babies without you even knowing it.

Betcha thought this blog was gonna be about something entirely different, didn't ya? ;)

It's a Goode Life: Do-overs

So Tuesday Miss Add, Daddy, Gilbert and I decided to give the Children's Museum a try again after the less than thrilling experience we had on Monday.

Much to our delight THIS is what we saw. Glorious open wide spaces filled with no ones :)

Sure you see this tower of beautiful glass that took 14 days to install... yet I see glorious levels of no ones.:)

So we came back to see Barbie.  Pretty cool Barbie sign until...

Until you get up close and it is a little creepy...

So we went posing with Barbie and mommy loves that the camera blew out her head.  I just want to know what brilliant museum designer thinks standing next to stick thin Barbie is good for my self-esteem...

My camera has got my back though...blew off her head both times... Poor Barbie and her itsy bitsty waist.

Miss Add LOVED the Barbie phone.

She had a time chattin' it up with Barbie.

"Have your people call my people Barbie"

Add made such a big deal about the phones that Daddy had to check it out.

We heart Barbie

Gilbert found Barbie to be a little boring.

Project Runway here she comes!

Barbie was fun, but Add much preferred the Polar Bear and dinosaurs.

She LOVED digging for Dinosaurs

I LOVED the goggles.

I mean I really LOVED the goggles

You are just going to have to indulge me here.

Adorable PINK goggles.

Barbie eat your heart out.

My girl can dig.

RAHHHERRRRR!

After the dig, we had some eggs to tend to

Which required some unique gear...

Dino attire comes in a close second to pink goggles

We finished out the day playing at playscape.

Caught some fish.

Flew some planes

Some excavating...

Some turtling

and played

and laughed

and laughed

and played.