Legacy Journey with Dave Ramsey and Rachel Cruz

I had the opportunity once again to hear from Dave Ramsey during a live event here in San Antonio. You probably already know that Kevin and I attended a Financial Peace University class (by Dave Ramsey) while I was working for Pape-Dawson in 2007.  And I have probably already also let you know that attending that class and using principals taught and encouraged by that class changed our lives. Really changed our financial focus and our attitude about money and spending.  

And then if you already know all of that, then you know that one thing led to another...we met with our Dave Ramsey endorsed local provider at PAX financial group, Joseph Schuetze, to begin college investments for the kids-->Joseph encouraged Kevin to learn about investing-->Kevin started working at PAX in 2008-->WE LOVE PAX -->Kevin was recently promoted to VP and is a PAX partner.

Taking that class led to a major change in our life and not the least of which was Kevin's career opportunity and my opportunity to leave Pape-Dawson to stay home with the kids and be a Laura homemaker/homeschool teacher/ career wife and mom.  I am a big fan of Dave Ramsey for how his practical and logical principals really blessed (and I try not to use that word loosely) our life and our home.  So he was in town last Thursday (March 6) and I was very excited to go see him talk and present the Legacy Journey with his daughter Rachel.  

I am NOT Dave Ramsey and I doubt my blog will be nearly as much of an encouragement to any reader as he is.  It is really crazy simple that he teaches people to be intentional with their spending, to be opposed to personal debt with intensity, to live within your means and to invest and win with money so you can give like crazy and change your family tree and eventually change the world.  I know I really kinda simplified it, but that is the gist. It really is simple,but sadly so many people are slaves to their finances because they are not in control.  People who budget know where their money is going when the income comes in because they have a plan.  People who don't budget wonder where it went when it is all gone and the lights are off.

 "When you spend your money on paper and on purpose each month with a written budget, you'll actually experience more freedom than before!" Dave Ramsey

So I am really going to try to avoid a teaching here.  If you aren't already free from financial worry and are curious about Financial Peace University you can check out his website for a class near you.  

The Legacy Journey was more of the same in a way.  His teaching is what it is, so he told his personal story about how young marriage with a toddler a baby on the way and bankruptcy.  He shared how his view of money was when it was wrong and how it is now. 

"When you hit the bottom so hard financially there is no bounce back, only a splat. You have an "I surrender" moment and begin to rebuild with respect for money." Dave Ramsey

Here is a healthy perspective Dave learned and shared that is a great one to adopt:
PRIDE says Wealth is from ME
POVERTY says Wealth is Evil
GRATITUDE says Wealth is from God.
A prideful spirit says I did it, it's mine and I am not sharing.  I am skipping commentary on poverty. Gratitude, a grateful heart, knows that financial wealth can be fleeting and that sharing everything you have and developing community is life giving.

I did want to share these stats that I have learned from Dave.
Did you know that 88% of American Millionaires are first generation rich? and that 70% of American billionaires (that's 1,000 million) started from nothing?  And with few exceptions they are great gargantuan givers. They worked hard to get to where they are and they are giving graciously because they want to change their world.  Me too! How about you?

So this starts at home and that is where the Legacy starts. The Legacy idea is now that we are free from financial stress, lets pass this down.  Let's teach our children to what's going on here.  Let them learn with their own earned commissions for work around the house when they are small and then maybe tasks in the neighborhood as they grow.  Teach them that the three things we do with money are spend, save and give away.  And then model responsible behavior.  Let them know that there are some things we do or don't do so that we are living within the means of our own income.  And encourage them to love something and be the best at it.  Again, I am not the teacher here so please don't take my oversimplified paragraph to mean that I have recapped and entire 3 hour presentation.  

If we can get our finances in control so that we aren't paralyzed by checking the mail, we can work our way into being a better financial role model for our family, we can change their life and our community.  AND if we can set our kids and our family to succeed too and this just snowballs!!!! then we can change the world.  THAT's the legacy.  


Dave Ramsey and his daughter Rachel Cruz have co-authored a book "Smart Money Smart Kids".  Learn how to raise money-smart kids in a debt free world.  The book will go on sale next month and when it hits the stands, the price will be $25.  It is available now at the website SmartMoneySmartKids.com for the pre-order price of only $20 and get a bundle of SmartmoneySmartKids and Legacy items worth over $50 for free.  Includes audio book and e-book.  

My Favorite Unintentional Benefits of Homeschooling

Today is not the day to write this post.  Homeschool is nothing if not dynamic. Many days I am proud to hear incessant laughter.  I stop to appreciate hearing my kids use their imagination and enjoying playing together.  I realize that if they were still in their public school, there would be very little time for them to spend together as not only would they have separate classrooms, but we would pretty much be tied to the table with homework until we headed out for evening activities.  None of those things promote them developing a relationship with each other.

So one of my favorite unintentional benefits of homeschooling is the improved relationship my kids have with each other.  They are siblings as well as friends.

BUT TODAY they are enemies.  Lucas knows how to push Addie's buttons and seems to get satisfaction from it.  And even though he knows that he is the only one and that it is a negative behavior that not only upsets oldest sister,but angers me... he does it anyway.  But let's be honest here, Addie is VERY sensitive.  I don't know where she gets it, but I think it is a normal character trait of the first born.  She on the other hand is ahead in schoolwork and is trying to do a few creative projects as gifts for friends while the other two work and the products aren't coming out perfectly the first time and so we have more tears. She is very sensitive and also a perfectionist.  

TODAY I interceded in an argument between Emaleigh and Lucas about whose box was whose.  It seems I was premature in moving the box for Lucas's new soccer ball out to the recycle bin and so he and Emaleigh were fighting over the one that was still in the house.  The argument was over if the remaining box was a ballroom for barbie or a bunker for GI Joe.  Enough already!!! There is one in recycle! Just got get it out and they can both have a place to do whatever it is you will have them do. 

And so another favorite unintentional benefit of homeschooling is the endless imagination the kids have in play.  Nothing is ever only a whatever its intended and boxes are just as much fun as the barbies or army men that inhabit them.  They are also boats, or cars, or some future craft that will end up as a gift for a friend. 

It has just been one of those days.  Everything has been a reason to argue.  Although for the most part, except for the button pushing, I hear a bit of logic in their arguments.  They can argue a point or position without just saying, "I'm Telling" or "Not Fair" or "Mine".  Today the three of them were singing a song that had four lines.  They came up with three scenarios to describe who sings which line, then discussed the options and then decided on a version that divided the lines in half between the girls because Lucas doesn't really like to sing after all.  This kind of problem solving does happen regularly.  IT doesn't happen in every argument.  There is still a bit of frustrated yelling on the way stomping out of the door from time to time, but they are working on it.

I love that they can solve problems between them diplomatically with a decent attempt to find a fair solution that makes everyone happy. Also a benefit I think of their extra time together at home and the individualized attention from their teacher.

I think there are many more.  Not the least of which is my relationship with each of them.  I do love that I get to be with my kids all the time.  There are times when I want to hide in a closet with a bottle of wine, but not most days.  For only a few years I get to have the kids here in my domain and I am so glad that we are homeschooling.  This choice has made parenting and teaching them such a blessed adventure.  We are all growing and learning, but also playing and laughing and loving (that's my favorite).  We are making memories to last a lifetime on a daily basis. And that is pretty stinkin cool.

Pow! I'm Back! A Post About a Video.

Maybe I am back.  I don't know. I have been writing in this blog many times over the last year or so since my last post.  Those post have just been all in my head and didn't quite make it to the internet. If  I had written them they would have been:
1. My favorite unintentional benefits of homeschooling
2. Updates on Addie's fundraising for the Texas Children's Choir trip to Normandy for D-Day
3. Less is More, the Blessings in Getting Rid of Material Clutter
4. Ways my friendship with Dawn grew over a 9 days sleepover with their family.
5. 20-Yr HS Reunion Update, I still Love those Peeps!
6. My Nephew is HERE!!! And he's a red head!!!
7. And another few awesome babies joined us this fall.
8. My Quick Trip back to Vegas; Love on Baby Jack, Cordie and the Pellegrinos
9. How God used Health Hurdles to heal a family, mine (maybe still a post coming)
10. 39 for the first time and ready to party like it's 1999 in a year.
11. The Joy of Serving in Women's Ministry; the Incredible Way God gave me 6 more Sisters.
12. I Am Going to Read 40 books This Year: Give Me your Suggestions.

There is a cliff notes version of a few things in my head that almost made it to a blog post but then there was a squirrel!!!!

Well this video was posted this week.

 It includes the two songs performed by the Texas Children's Choir at the Miss San Antonio Pageant in their entirety.  Addie Belle Force is front center for both.  You might not recognize her because this baby of mine has grown up so much.  This choir commitment is a passion for her.  I can't remember being as passionate about anything when I was 9 as she is about TCC.  Look at her focus, her emotion and even her stillness as she performs. 

I am so proud to be her moma.  She has this wisdom of a much more mature girl, but the gentleness of a little girl and the sensitivity.  She sets tremendous goals for herself and over achieves. From time to time this practice does lead to frustration, but it is how she is wired.  She thrives to exceed.  So it has been awesome really to watch her develop with her participation in this choir.  She has busted out of the shell of a timid little girl and blossomed.  

She has found her natural fit in choir and in music. She loves to sing and does so incessantly.  She is also learning guitar and has been playing for nearly two years now and has recently started playing piano as well.  The second two instruments are entirely self taught so far, but she set's high goals for herself in these as well.  On the guitar she plays music with her daddy.  They play Led Zepplin, Jack Johnson and ofcourse there is some Taylor Swift in there too.  She is a nine year old girl afterall.  On the piano she has written her own pieces with help from her favorite co-conspirator, Haidyn, and has also learned to play some current Disney favorites and duets with her Janma.  I am showing you this video now.  Just wait!  I know there are some fabulous things to come from our quiet musician.

http://youtu.be/1xOlx2ndIt8

Blarney Blast Soccer

Yesterday Lucas and his soccer team, the Jags, participated in a St. Patrick's day tournament in Bulverde. Bulverde is just north of San Antonio on the way out to Janma and Grandpa's house. Those grandparents were planning to cheer for the Jags at the tourney but Grandpa fell on Thursday and hurt his foot badly enough that he is on mandatory rest and take it easy for a few weeks. Jan is taking good care of him. What a strange opportunity for them at this stage in their life. They are both fiercely independent; this injury just may be a good opportunity for them to learn a new dependence. We sure missed them and the kids are missing them too. They were slated to be child care for the next three days while Kevin and I are out of town. That's an entirely different story. But it is worth saying that the injury took them out and another hero came immediately from New Orleans. Mima did get to see Lucas play two of his three games.
The tournament asked for them to enter a name contest so just for yesterday, the Jags were called the GreenGos. Get it, Get it...
So these tournaments are best of the best and so far our boys are winless in all of their tournaments. You should know that the entries in their age group are always very limited so in order for them to play their promised 3 games they have to play up in age. Most of the boys have been playing together for a few years and this year they are really clicking together. It really seems like years of practice and skills drills just started to be apparent in the game play. I can't wait now for the next game.
They did , btw, lose all games yesterday. They lost them better than they have in the past. Maybe next tourney they will get a win. Kevin said the first game was the closest but Lucas blocked several shots with his body so it could have been more of a blowout. Dad, you got to get to San Antonio and see him play before we have to start buying tickets for his games. OK, I am kidding about that but get here as soon as you can. It is time to see it.

Colored Rice and Candy Mustaches

Monday Rock n Bowl

I don't know which brilliant Prewitt found the Rock n Bowl. The place was empty when we arrived. It was nice to bowl with our kids without a crowd to lose them in. Sometimes though I wished the lanes were not so sophisticated to lower the bumpers when it was my turn. All the kids did well enough that they had a great time. This is definitely a date I want to repeat when we get to bring the daddies with us. If you are ever here I recommend the Bloody Mary and the fried pickles.

Tuesday Zoo Day!

Fun fun day at Audubon Zoo. Mima had a zoo pass that included admission for all the grand kids. I am writing that down as good planning for impromptu spoiling. That is something I will definitely do too. The Audubon Zoo is so so pretty. Oh all the animals were pretty awesome too! By the way, they all asked for you. The landscape was lush. We had no problem finding natural and artificial scrapes for our own monkeys to climb. Probably my favorite were the arangatangs and the two headed snake.