The Economics Of A Personalized Print Calendar

Since having my fifth baby on September 18th, I have only recently begun to emerge from my postpartum stupor. Though I have tried to keep up with current events, round the clock feedings and general household chaos has me a bit out of the loop. I understand we have a new President-Elect named Barack something or other. I've also heard rumors that the financial market is in some sort of free-fall. There must be something to the rumor because my husband recently grabbed our 401K statement from the mail stack and is guarding it with his life. I think he fears my postpartum mood swings will turn into a full blown depression if I realize how broke we really are.

With this economic reality in mind, I am looking for ways to be both creative and thrifty this holiday season. One old idea I plan to revisit is a family Print Calendar

We put one together about three years ago through Vista Print and gave it to both sets of grandparents. My in-laws loved theirs so much they still have it up on their wall, which means that of course none of the dates go with the current year. That's true grandparent love for you. It didn't matter that they were always off schedule. They just couldn't get through the month of February without the pic of their granddaughter in her red heart Valentine pajamas or October with a pic of the kids running around the pumpkin patch.

It should go without saying that this is a strictly 'grandparents only' type of gift. Don't give one to your best friend or co-worker and probably not even your siblings. No one really cares to stare at photos of your little rugrats (adorable as they may be) month after month except for you and the grandfolks.

If you have a close circle of friends, church group, or office crowd you could still use the calendar idea for each particular group. Go through past photos or start snapping away now and then put them together with some witty captions and send them off to Vista Print. It is an inexpensive gift and everyone will be constantly reminded of your cleverness for a whole year.

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Separated At Birth

Separated At Birth?

Publishing Tycoon Steve Forbes
& Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell

Because of the recent financial meltdown, Steve Forbes has been popping up on many recent cable programs. Because of the recent election, Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell has also been highly visible in front of the cameras. However, I have yet to see both men together in a studio or sharing the same stage. Hmmm...Could it be they are in fact one and the same person?

The resemblance is striking. They both have the look of what I imagine Archie from the old comic books would have looked like had he been allowed to age.

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Tricking (or treating) Up Your Ride

My husband and I have talked privately about the possibility of turning over his PT Cruiser to our kids for their use in a few years as they get old enough to drive. As far as I know, we have never spoken of that in front of the kids. However, our ten year old evidently had the same idea because today he was telling me all the things he would like to do with the Cruiser to "trick" it up when he gets old enough to drive it.

Trick it up? Oh no, it was bad enough that my husband watches "Pimp My Ride" but now I have a son who is talking about "Tricking" his ride...

If you are thinking about souping up your vehicle you might want to check out the folk over at superchargerpros.com. They promise great pricing and fantastic customer service. So, if you are looking for a supercharger for your Buick, Pontiac, or Mercedes (or PT Cruiser?) they may be just what you are looking for.

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Three Better Candidates For President

Not long ago I asked readers of this blog to name three politicians that you think would be better candidates for President than those currently nominated. I received some very interesting answers. Some former presidential candidates who did not make it through the primaries, some politicians that people wished would have run, and a few names who could very well appear on the ballot in 2012.

After mulling it over for a few weeks I have my own names to add to the list.

Larry....Mo.....Curly.

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Steering John McCain

I am a John McCain supporter. However, like many of those who will be voting for him, I have been disappointed with his campaign. Therefore, I would like to make a recommendation to him. He obviously needs help in steering the straight talk express, so he should check out powersteeringpros.com. They have all the power steering rack parts he might need (with full warranty). And, since he chose to accept public funding he will be glad to know that they come with free shipping.

If you want access to quality steering parts that previously dealers only had, you will want to check them out, also.

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Irritable Bowl Syndrome Election

My husband and I watch politics the way some people watch football or follow NASCAR. For us it is a spectator sport. We don't engage in any overt political activities but are fascinated by the process, the word games, the things that endear candidates to their supporters and the foibles that send their aspirations to Davy Jones locker.

However, I think we have reached the saturation point. It is less than two weeks until election day. The plot should be reaching it's climax, but instead we just want to finish this book so we can close the covers and put it on the shelf. This should be the Super Bowl of politics, but instead it is more like irritable bowl syndrome.

This has been a really, really, really long election.

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