After a couple rough days, I've finally had a FANTASTIC FRIDAY! Yesterday was really rough on me, because I felt terrible almost all afternoon and evening. I had a terrible headache (it lasted for over 7 hrs); thank goodness when I woke up this morning it was gone! Most of this week I've not been sleeping the best. One night I woke up almost every hour or two. My body was becoming very fatigued and ruined down. Last night I was so tired and had such a massive headache that I practically passed out when my head hit the pillow. I only woke up two times and the third time I woke up I just got up. It's been the first night in a long time that I didn't need my 3 AM feeding! It's amazing what a good nights sleep can do for someone. Nonetheless, I have had a terrific day and am so thankful for all the blessings in my life:)
It's so funny how I forget how bad yesterday I felt and yet today all I can think about how awesome it is to be PREGNANT! I've been feeling the baby a lot lately and every time I feel a little push from inside, I give thanks and praise to the Lord!
So I came up with a list of big things I need to get done before this summer is here. I've been getting one thing done almost everyday and it feels so great to cross off things from my list! Anyway, here's some things I've accomplished on my to do list: A's fb scrapbook is updated, my closet is cleared of clothes I don't wear/fit anymore (and now will be able to fit some maternity clothes in it), getting the nursery together (bit by bit), and washed the baby clothes that we have so far.
So I read this on someone's blog and thought it was definitely worth sharing.
Here's something absolutely positive for a change. I have seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way.
The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140.00 for a middle-income family. Talk about price shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.
But $160,140..00 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into:
* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month,
* $171.08 a week.
* A mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour.
Still, you might think the best financial advice is; don't have children if you want to be 'rich.' Actually, it is just the opposite.
What do you get for your $160,140.00?
* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold usually cover ed with jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites.
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.
For $160,140.00, you never have to grow up. You get to:
* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs,
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.
You have an excuse to:
* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watch Saturday morning cartoons,
* go to Disney movies, and
* wish on stars.
You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.
For a mere $24.24 a day, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for:
* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and
* coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.
You get a front row seat in history to witness the:
* First step,
* First word,
* First bra and/or jock strap,
* First date,
* First time behind the wheel.
You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.
In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!
Love and enjoy your children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren! It's the best investment you'll ever make!
"But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God." -Ruth 1:16
No comments:
Post a Comment