Liar Liar Pants on Fire

  Tonight is the first U.S. Presidential debate. It's been a long time coming. About two years to be exact. As a country they have way more patience than we Canadians do. Never, ever, would we be okay with an election taking so long.

  One thing I saw this morning made me laugh. Donald Trump said 52 things that were false.....last week! Some were huge like his numbers with African American voters were "taking off like a skyrocket"....they haven't moved. Others small like tonight's debate moderator is a Democrat. He's not. Lestor Holt is a Republican.

  Whether a little white one or a whopper, Mr. Trump needs a fact checker. And a good one. 

  People believe politicians are dishonest. We expect them to say whatever it takes to get elected. Then pretend it's the other parties fault that you can't do everything you promised. Sadly it's a fact of life. But most don't do it as often or with such disregard.

  Maybe instead of talking about the size of his hands, his opponents should talk about the size of his nose! wink wink

  Ang

Food + Family = Happiness

  I just saw a video where they asked couples who they would like to have dinner with, dead or alive. The responses were Justin Beiber, Marilyn Monroe and Nelson Mandela....he would be a great dinner companion. All were celebrities of a sort. Then the same question was asked of their children.

  The parents were shocked because ALL the kids had the same answer....family. Mom and Dad. Every member of our family. Think about that for a second. Their parents dreamed of Kim Kardashian and Kylie Minogue. They wanted to hang out with their parents. Interesting.

  We eat dinner as a family every single day. It is very rare that we aren't all in the same room. Not necessarily at the table but all together. A meal might last three hours, thirty minutes or three but we are all in the same space. 

  Sometimes, in our busy lives, we forget that our kids just want us. Our attention. Our interest. A nod of the head that shows we are listening. Nothing dramatic. Just us. 

  Take the time to eat with your kids. Doesn't matter where you sit or what you eat. Be present. You'll be amazed at what you learn about them.

  And if I could pick someone to have dinner with....without hesitation...my Dad. 

  Ang

Make it home...

  Anthony Anderson said something on The View Wednesday that made me, as a parent, very sad. The quote " I want you to come home every night. I want you to make it home. Whatever it is that you need to do, make it home." I can not even imagine saying that to my 16 year old son. Or how painful it must be to say it.

  Of course my son isn't a sixteen year old black male living in the United States. I would imagine this is a common conversation between parent and child there. Probably as often as me telling Alex to clean his room. What a difference a border makes!

  Now I'm not saying we are perfect. Far from it. We are fighting racism daily, with a degree of success, but we still have a long way to go. And we admit it. And you know what they say.....admitting you have a problem is the first step in solving it.

  A Trump campaign official says there was no racism in the U.S. until Barack Obama became president! WTH??? She has since quit the campaign after the backlash but asked NBC "What did I say that was racist?" If you can't see it when it's right in front of your eyes well....

  Racism is real. Racial profiling is real. Police violence against African American men is real. Pretending it isn't won't help anyone.

  Ang

***Watch Blackish...Anthony Anderson is fabulous!***
  

Welcome Autumn

  It's the first day of autumn. Time to officially break out the sweaters, boots and scarves. Open the windows and let in that crisp fresh air. Soon you'll be scrapping the frost off the windshield and turning the heat on in the mornings. 

  John loves this time of year. It's evident in the amount of yard work that gets completed each year. Anything that involves heavy labor gets pushed aside til late September and he finds time daily to work on them. This year it's a new side walkway and it's going to be gorgeous.

  I'm happy for my power bill to go down. Hopefully with the air conditioner off it will drop to a more manageable amount. And if we could have a month where the furnace doesn't have to go on that would be perfect. 

  Sadly my sandals will get less wear but I'm a hold out. Sometimes til snow hits the ground. But I will buy the kids new boots and mitts before that happens. And snow pants. I always seem to be late with those.

  Whether it's your favorite time or not, at least drive around. See the changing leaves and the beautiful scenery that surrounds you. Take in all the colors Mother Nature puts on display.

  Before all that white stuff ruins it!

  Ang
  

My Executive Decision

  I've made an executive decision today. I have decided what would most benefit our family as a whole. After careful deliberation and soul searching, I now know what will improve our quality of life in both the short and long term. That's right...we are getting a second dishwasher!

  Our kitchen isn't big enough to have them side by side but there is lots of room in the island. Maybe that one can be just for pots! And plastic containers. Even the occasional baking sheet. I'm almost giddy.

  The one beside the sink will easily handle the 20 cups and glasses Alex goes through in the course of a day. And the bowls, which take up way too much room (please read Why Didn't I Listen for that explanation), can finally all be washed at the same time.

  I will be the envy of all my friends. My cupboards will be so well organized and spacious.....cause they will be empty! As Dana Carvey's Church Lady would say "I'm verklempt".

  Now all I have to do is convince John to install it.

  Ang

  

Happy 1st Anniversary!!!!

  Happy Anniversary to me!!!!!! One year go today I started writing this blog and I've never looked back. It's been therapeutic at times. Lots of ranting has taken place. A few tears. And many, many WTH moments. I hope it was as much fun for you as it was for me!

  One thing I wasn't expecting, but am so thrilled by, is the amount of people from other countries who are reading. I mean you Portugal! When I get a stats update I'm over whelmed at the countries I see...Poland, China, Russia, Romania, France. Canada and the U.S. I expected but the rest of you...well you are a completely wonderful surprise!

  It proves what I always knew....we are more alike than different. Religion, economics, geography and cultures aside. Everyone wants to be happy, raise good kids, enjoy our family. We all pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and get on with it. We laugh. We cry. We go on. That's a comforting thought with so much upheaval in the world.

  Thank you for sharing my life. Thank you for listening to me rant. Thank you for coming back day after day. 

  Year two......starts now!

  Ang 

***I have a Facebook page where it's easy to leave comments...Life As I See It....please let me know what you think and where you are from!***

  

Debt

  Canadians are now carrying more "bad" debt then ever before. In fact we have more debt to income than any other G7 country. Stats Canada says that we owe $1.68 for every $1.00 of disposable income! That's huge.

  My parents generation didn't believe in debt. Not really. You paid your mortgage and celebrated when the house was finally yours. Most bought used cars and it was rare for a family to have two. We rarely ate out and if we did it was a bucket of KFC in the summer at the beach. Vacations meant camping or day trips. Credit cards were not commonplace and if you wanted something you saved for it.

  Boy a lot has changed! Now we buy "starter homes" that we upgrade after five years to something much bigger and much more expensive. Most families have two cars and it is now the norm to buy your child a car when they turn 16. Take out is a way of life for many busy families. And vacations are all-inclusive's for the entire family during the winter and a cottage rental in the summer.

  Every single person I know has at least one credit card. Most three or more. And without even trying I can think of a hand full of people who have declared some form of bankruptcy at least once. Many people "supplement" their incomes with their Visa or Mastercard. 
  
  Even scarier than "young people" debt is that fact that now more than half of all Canadians retire with debt! Some with mortgages. Others are still paying off their kids education, or worse, their adult children's debts. And after years of instant gratification, baby boomers aren't able, or willing, to go without. Not even in the short term.

  So what does this say about us as a people? Are we greedy? Impatient? Has our keeping up with the Jones finally caught up to us? I can't speak for all Canadians but I will say it seems the line between "wants" and "needs" have really blurred. So much so we don't know the difference anymore.

  I hate to think what our kids finances will look like. They will learn from our example. And it sure looks like we aren't setting a great one.

  Some of us at least.

  Ang