I read it all last night. It had some things I was aware of, but of course I learned a lot that I did not know. How interesting to not know all about one’s own parent – details of their childhood that they might have told you bits and pieces of but not in great detail at any one time – unless you asked. As kids, I don’t remember really doing a lot of that. I couldn’t help but think that my children could read this and learn about it too, and that his story would not be lost because he took the time to save it.

It put me into a strange mood today, almost like I am living in between the time periods that he grew up in and in the time periods that I was alive and our family became his life. It brought me back to the places that I grew up as he recollected those times and I think I am still processing it.

Hmm. Then I realized that this blog, which I have been keeping since 2009 or something crazy like that, is like that too. Only my kids can’t stand reading about their antics and my interpretations of them. It’s probably too much information but with my memory (or lack of it) it helps me remember what was going on at those times.

And I bet Dad is waiting for some feedback from us kids. He spent a lot of time on his memoirs and that was really important to him to be able to pass that on. My feedback is on my “to do” list.

Take care of all your memories. For you cannot relive them.  ~ Bob Dylan 

So then we get this issue of Cosmo in the mail addressed to my daughter and what the heck, the thing is full of tacky sex talk and kiddish (and I mean fourth grade) discussion of a female person’s body parts. Come on – we can’t say vagina on the cover but we can say hoo ha? Give me a break. Cosmo magazine used to be a tad more sophisticated. I think that it is now downright stupid. My guess is that they need readership (badly) to be able to sell ads to their clients because for $5 a year, my daughter got this stupid one year subscription, which they then sent to two addresses. What joy for me to read about getting a healthy and happy hoo ha at this late stage in my life. And I read the article. I learned nothing really, as it was just a bunch of hoopla about a hoo ha. Another guess? Putting hoo ha on a cover sells more magazines.

And I think Amanda Bynes, featured on the cover, got a lip plumping job. And by lips, I mean the ones on her face. (See diagram in the article on hoo ha.)

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“Violence and smut are of course everywhere on the airwaves. You cannot turn on your television without seeing them, although sometimes you have to hunt around.”  ~ Dave Barry

I have always loved that show and still watch the episodes on Netflix. I have probably seen each one ten or more times. Still love it and think that Jimbo and I would make a great tag team.

If my family can’t arrange this for me, at least they could buy me a season or two for Christmas. And not the first season with the original Rocky. He was a tad creepy. I want the real Rocky, the lovable one who was in the rest of the shows to the end. And a bitter end it was for me when the last episode aired.

This desire to be on Rockford Files is my own personal Santa Claus moment – totally unbelievable but something I choose to do anyway. Perhaps this audio editing software that I have noted for my family could be used to dub in my voice – I would even be happy with just a vocal part. I could just be a voice on the phone like when the show opens and Jim is getting a voice message. They could cut in me on an old phone in a conversation. Just saying…

And if the fam really cares about me, they will humor me. After all this time, they should be pretty good at it.

Hi Jimbo. Dennis. Really appreciate the help on the income tax. You wanna help on the audit now? ~”The Rockford Files

So when I hear parents start to complain about the bills, I have no sympathy. Why would you spend what you can’t afford? Seems like simple math to me. Why would you want to teach your kids that it is okay to live beyond your budget? When did the word “budget” become a dirty word? Seems like some people assume that all people are born to be rolling in the dough and living the life of excess. I live on a budget. I feel no shame for it.

So am I “mean” for limiting my spending to about $75 per child. If I am, like I was just told I was, so what? Things like Wiis, iPads and Smart Phones are not little things and one should feel some pain when they get one or one will never learn to value a dollar. If they need those things (which they don’t, they want them) they can get a job. That is how you learn the value of a dollar – when you have to work for it. It doesn’t happen when it’s given away at no cost.

Mrs. Scrooge?

I prefer Mrs. Balanced Bank Account.

When the kids were younger, I limited their TV viewing time because I was very mean and wanted them to grow up with at least half a brain. When I did let them watch TV, it wasn’t just anything on the tube, the shows had to be suitable – to me, of course.

One of their favorites were the KidSongs videos and songs and we played the videos over and over until you could probably see through the tape. They often will reminisce about some of the songs so when I happened to stumble upon the KidSongs site with downloadable songs to record to a CD or an iPod, I couldn’t resist.

Thirteen songs and $13 later, I had some of their favs downloaded and burned to a CD that I decorated with photos. This get me exactly 13 seconds of appreciation – they did love it but the jury is still out whether it was worth it. Once again, I feel victim to my fond memories of my child-rearing past. Now I will probably get spammed with announcements about new releases. Too bad there are no songs with accompanying videos about kids fighting, screaming and tantrums. It would provide some balance, that’s all I am saying.

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving. ~ Albert Eienstein