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We have been thinking about Childrens Beds and redoing the bedroom that my youngest two share. They have had the same bunk bed for 6 years I think. They got sick of the bunk bed so we took it apart over a year ago. They like it more but it takes up a lot of room now.

When they got the bunk bed it worked out perfectly. It was not as cool as having Novelty Beds but it was the next best thing. It has a desk, book shelf, and dresser attached. They had everything they needed and it took up very little room.

Now we are back to looking at Kids Beds because the girls want more usable space in their room but not a bunk bed. They have so much stuff now that the room is just walkways around all of the stuff.

The girls have even said that they are now willing to get rid of all of the toys because they are sick of having no room to do things in there! I love the idea of getting rid of everything and starting over! After years of getting these girls everything they ever wanted, the house is now full.

One of the thoughts we are passing around is going to just one queen size bed for the two of them to share. It would take up less room than having two beds. The question is... would the girls get sick of sharing a bed since they are 10&11 and as puberty hits they may start to be less close.

Honestly, I have even thought of not even having a bed in there since they rarely sleep in their room. I usually find them sleeping in the living room or rec room. James has mentioned that we could find other styles of furniture that could also be slept on since the main problem is that they want a room that can be used for more than just sleeping.

I guess I will be spending time online searching for furniture again!

There has always been a need for volunteers and donations but the bad economy has left many organizations struggling even more. As people are trying to make ends meet they tend to forget about the people they once helped. Volunteering is free! Many groups are is desperate need of workers and can not afford to hire anyone. Just a little bit of your time can help so many.

Donating may be harder during a bad economy but if you think of it more like an investment. Donations to many organizations are tax deductible. A little money here and there through the year can help out a lot at tax time. If you donate to an organization that helps kids you are also investing in our future.

I love how some companies are stepping up and making donations. I wish more would follow their lead! Companies can donate money and products and get a tax deduction also so I really wish more would. This is a great way to help out in a bad economy and not have it hurt you financially.

One great example of this is Aussie. They are Australia’s leading non-bank retail financial services group. They provide Life Insurance and Funeral Insurance. Along with sponsoring NSW Aussie Blues, they are also donating to junior rugby league clubs across NSW. Many young sporting organizations are hurting so this helps young men get the opportunity to realize their dreams.

Aussie may know Life Insurance Quotes but they also know how to help out their community.

Everyday I am amazed by how dependent we have become on the internet. I guess I have become more aware of this lately since our internet has been coming and going with the wind and bad weather. I could not even make a simple pizza dough the other day until the internet came back up. I no longer have recipe books since everything is online.

When someone hit and totaled my Jeep I turned to the internet and it really saved me. A horrible little insurance man tried telling me that my Jeep was worth thousands less than it really was. We immediately went online with him and took him on a tour of websites so he could see what jeep prices were at the time. I was not going to accept what his book said to offer me since that would not give me enough money to replace my vehicle. He finally realized that we were no fools and gave us what we asked for.

Next step was to find a new vehicle. I spent many hours online checking out what vehicles had what I wanted and then compared all the prices so I knew what I should pay. I was not going to be a fool and over pay. In the end I got exactly what I wanted for a good price. I did not even have to drive around to all of the dealerships and deal with pushy sales people!

I love that no matter what you are looking for you can get expert opinions online in an instant. We have now been checking out info and dodge ram prices for James' dad. I have even caught James doing a bit of dreaming because he was checking out porsche prices.

Have you seen the porsche 911 carrera prices? That is definitely dreaming!

We have a winner to announce in the 18x24 Photo Enlargement Poster Print Giveaway!

The winner is Kathy Pease! Congrats!

Thank you to Digital Room for sponsoring this blog and providing us with tons of products and giveaways.

I was asked to check out the MoneyNowUSA website. I was skeptical at first but I was surprised by how much information the site really has on it. They search over 150 lenders to find people the highest payday loan amount with the lowest APR. I have to tell you that I really dislike payday loans but there are people that have no other options when there is an emergency.

There are so many websites around these days trying to lure in people with promises of fast cash but most just rip people off and get them trapped under a pile of debt. This website has a section of articles that are very interesting. I love that they have articles about payday loan scams and articles stating when a person should not get a loan.

My favorite article was "Five Examples of When NOT to Use a Payday Loan!". The article points out that you should not get a payday loan if the money you need is for gambling, a gift, a non-emergency, if you can not pay it back right away, or if you have good credit and can get another kind of loan. I think some of these examples are true when thinking of any kind of credit including credit cards.

If the the item you want is not really NEEDED and you do not have the cash, then you can not buy it. It really is that simple.

So I made a decision... Okay, I did not really make a decision as much as I left it up to fate. My 14 1/2 year old and I have gone around in circles about if she should be able to get a summer job.

In the end I decided to let her apply for the job she wants. The place she wants to work is a small amusement park in the next town. We get season passes each year and spend at least one day a week there during the summer. We live in a tiny town so she would have to work somewhere else anyway.

I still do not want her to get a job so young but I left it up to fate. I am sure that the place she wants to work will have tons of applications so I figure she does not have much of a chance to get a job anyway. Why argue about a job that she will most likely not get?

So she filled out the online application and now we wait and see. I bought myself a little more time I guess. I am sure that in a couple weeks she will find a new place that she wants to apply for a job at.

Young people that dream of becoming famous are always told to make sure that they have a Plan B. It is obviously good advice seeing how few people actually make it big. It is good advice for everyone though.

Once we become adults and settle into a career we stop worrying about a Plan B. That is why so many people are suffering from stress and depression now that the economy and job market has plummeted.

Stress and depression can be crippling but it never changes the outcome! When things do not work out how you planned you really need to learn stress management and how to let go.

For years I would sit up at night stressed out. That is when James spoke a few simple words to me. All he said was that I needed to let it go and stop worrying because no amount of worrying would change how things happen.

I never thought of it that way. I wasted so many hours worrying and being stressed out. I have always said that hate is a wasted emotion that only affects you, but that day I added stress to the list of wasted emotions.

There is a new book out entitled Plan B by Pete Wilson. It is a book that helps Christians let go of their stress and turn to God. It gives encouragement and can help the reader see what God's plan might be for their life.