When is it enough?

How much can one give before it is enough?  That is the question of the hour in my head.  How much can you put your neck on the line for someone else before it starts tripping you up?  How does helping someone out once (and for a stated amount of time) turn into an obligation and a responsibility? One that makes you feel guilty because at some point enough IS enough!?!  Can they not see that far in front of their nose that they are not the center of the world?  That they are owed NOTHING and that I need to give NOTHING?   I have my own situations that need to be handled, without the cry of unfairness, bitterness and pulling on the heartstrings.  If they'd have opened their eyes and paid attention to anyone but themselves in the past couple of years they'd have realized it.  They have relied on the support from over here for too long.  I am at the breaking point.

Have you seen my Zen?  I have found it misplaced in the past -- the past 2 weeks especially -- finding it is especially trying.  We're busy as can be as a family unit.  Baseball and gymnastics in the evening. Homework after school and in the evening.  Meals.  Private time (seriously?)   I've become an anxious worry wort.  I am struggling to find peace.  Zen.  Whatever you want to call it:  I need it.  Desperately.

While searching for it, I found this blog post from 2007 on the Daily Devotional Blog (which I hadn't seen before my search.)  I love it. I am not sure that I can wrap my head around the entire concept right now but I get it.  Kind of.  I need to get it. I need to be able to cast my fears/worries/anxieties on God because I am not strong enough to do this by myself, even with the strength of my family.  Recently, my hair began falling out again - terribly.  Which I think is a physical manifestation of the anxiety I'm carrying around.  Someone is telling me that I have got to slow down, lessen the load and breathe.

But I still need to know:  when is it okay to say enough?

Scrap Getaway Weekend?

Are you totally behind in your scrapbooking because you have more kids activities and your a photo-holic like me?  If you're local (NJ/DE/PA/NY) or feel like coming to NJ for a crop at the beach in the winter, check out Scrappers Anonymous Getaway. 

A winter weekend at Flanders Hotel in Ocean City, NJ.  The weekend begins at noon on Friday til around 4 on Sunday in January filled with fun, scrapping, food (holy moly is there good food, and so much of it,) friends and fun.  Oh wait, I already said fun.  Pack up your current scrapbook project or pick a new project for the weekend.  Feel free to stay up late or sleep in as long as you want.   Scrap as little or as much as you want!  You can even shop while you're there!!  Vendors - scrapbook vendors and others are there - it is truly a great weekend. 

Feel free to ask me any questions or fill out the contact form on their website.  A fabulous group of ladies put this together each year, and each year it seems to get a little bigger and better than the year previous. 

I have to say that I am fond of staying in my pajamas for the entire weekend and drinking from a sippy cup instead of filling sippy cups and telling children to get out of their pajamas because we have so many places to go, people to see ... you get that, right?

That is the sneak peek of what I'll be working on.  Surprised?  I didn't think so! 

TracFone for your family and mine

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TracFone for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Again, I have to tell you, I am an iPhone kind of gal.  Hubs has his cell phone plan through the business so I just stuck with my own company, one that I have had forever and haven't really thought of giving up - until now. 

Have I told you that my 4th grader was stuck on the school bus for 1.5 hours coming home after the first day of school?  If I broke down and got her a phone, I wouldn't have been half as worried as I was.  With the low cost of the Tracfone plans, I think I would be able to get all three of us (2 kids and me) a phone for what I am paying now for my phone.  Maybe less. 

A few of the things that I worry about are contracts - and having to break them  if a newer, better plan comes along.  With Tracfone, I don't have to worry about that.  There are no contracts.  No credit checks.  No activation fees.  No cancellation fees.  Seems simple enough.   I can get a monthly plan or pay as I go with Tracfone cards that I can purchase at the store. 

And, not just junky phones either.  Tracfone offers phones from all of the "better" cell phone companies including LG, Samsung, Nokia and many others.  The phones aren't that expensive!  They begin at less than $10 and can include things like a QWERTY keyboard, web access, texting and app capabilities, phone/video capabilities and the list goes on and on.  Not a "cheap" featureless phone by any means.  So many features

Leaving the country anytime soon?  Have your kids call you from their Tracfone.  International calling to select countries is included in your minute allocation.  Seriously.  There is also an International Neighbors program where you can provide friends and family in Mexico and Canada with a local number in those countries to reach your Tracfone in the US.  (Good for our international workers!) 

To sum it up - I am thinking of switching.  Really.  With both kids asking for phones for Christmas, it just seems like the sensible thing to do.  We all know me.  Sensible.  Ok, maybe not but these people are:  Real TracFone customers