family
Enjoying the Weekend with Family
Did gas prices put a dent in your weekend travels? I figured we have the time let’s take a short trip and have fun as a family.
Before I get into what we did, here’s how to save a little money on your trip:
- Traveling by Car- Use the more fuel efficient one for longer trips. Our Dodge Grand Caravan gets about 18 miles to the gallon and the Honda Civic gets around 34 to 35 miles to the gallon. The trunk space on the Civic is huge.
- Hotel costs- You should get a AAA (Automobile Association of America) membership, or your local equivalent. Many hotels have special rates for AAA members that save you 10-15%. You can also get special rates as military, government (state and federal) and check the hotel websites for other online only specials
- Museum and Zoo fees- Ask for a military or student discount if it applies to you. If you plan to go to the same place alot, some places have annual memberships which will also save you money.
Here’s what we did:
Friday night I looked at flying to Orlando for a short Disney trip. Just flights would be $317 per person each, let’s see what else. Busch Gardens Williamsburg looks good, but it is about five hours away, too long in the car for this short of a trip.
How about about a two day trip to Columbia, SC? It’s only one and a half hours away, sounds good. We slept in a little on Saturday and headed down to Columbia. We ate lunch and spent the afternoon at the Edventure Museum. (http://www.edventure.org)
Some of the exhibits at the Edventure Museum include:
- A three story boy named Eddie, you can crawl inside him and see his spine, stomach with food inside, his brain, etc.
- World of work- Be a farmer and milk a cow or pick peaches, put on a fireman’s jacket and ride in their truck, build at a construction site and more.
- BodyWorks- Brush Eddie’s teeth, find out what food is good for you, play a large game of Operation, and see how your joints work.
There’s more, look at their website to see what else they have. On Sunday we went to the Riverbanks Zoo. (http://www.riverbanks.org/) It was a good Zoo for kids and had lots of animals. We were there about four hours and then headed for home. It was a good short trip and we have Monday to just relax around the house and at the community pool.
Take time with Family,
Sam Carrara
Barbie- Island Princess
I can’t believe I have anything Barbie in my house. Both my wife and I refused to allow anything with that name into the house. Then little by little they crept in as gifts from friends and family.
First it was a doll or two; they sneak it in by giving Disney Barbie dolls of Belle, Cinderella and the like. Next it was a VW bug Barbie car and a dog (Tanner) that “poops.” Well the poop was thrown away, even if she had a trash can for it.
The new animation of Barbie videos is great. But animation isn’t everything, you also need a good story line. My wife, kids and I found a Barbie video that is addictive- Barbie as The Island Princess.
It’s about a girl named Ro that as a child fell off a ship and lived with animal friends on an island in the South Seas. Her friends- Sagi, Tika and Azul helped raise her and travel to civilization with her when a handsome Prince Antonio happens by the Island in search of adventure.
Of course they fall in love, but the Prince is betrothed (what a large word) to another girl. His Father (who looks like the Burger King) says she has to marry a princess. I don’t want to spoil the best parts so you have to see it for yourself.
We also purchased the Island Princess CD and can’t get the songs out of our heads. It’s good clean fun, and catchy tunes for the family. One song about rats working to earn cheese is hilarious. I can’t get the words, “Oh can you taste it” out of my head.
Island Princess Fun,
Sam Carrara
5 Ways to Find Your Motivation
Are you in the doldrums? Can’t seem to get anything done?
What is your motivation? If you feel like you haven’t accomplished much lately except check email, answer voicemail and watch the news; you’re not alone. As we continue to get flooded with communication and ads for our time we need to break thru the mess and determine what’s important.
You need the motivation to accomplish the important (and sometimes more difficult) tasks. Here are a few ways to find the motivation:
- Lost Job or Company- If you don’t do this specific task within 24 hours you will lose your job or lose your company. Ouch, this can be serious if you like your job or company. If not, lets try one of the other ways.
- Paycheck to Paycheck- Most people are one to two months away from bankruptcy or foreclosure if they have no income coming in. Savings is at an all time low. Here you have to look at if you don’t accomplish this task, you will be one of the people that will need to look for a new place to live.
- Family Responsibility- For many people they have more responsibilities than just themselves. The difference being, if it was just me I can bounce back… …what do I do with my family until we get back on our feet? (Parents, friends, etc.) It may just be pride or shame, but I want to take care of my own before relying or burdening others.
- Simple Freedom- If you must get that task done now, you’re in a fix. If you can get it done anytime, that’s much better. I’m not talking about being lazy. I mean that you can control when and where you work.
- Goals- Not all the material fluff that will rust, mold or eventually appear dull, but real experiences. I want to spend real time with my family. Time for tickling, teaching, laughing, crying, just plain old time. Show they what it’s like to help others, life is more than just you.
The list above don’t always happen by themselves, they can fall like dominoes all at once. This is just a partial list. What’s your motivation?
What’s the word? JGID- Just Get It Done!
Take action and get out of that pit! See what Aaron Brandon has to say about this at:
http://www.aaronbrandon.com/what-is-jgid/
JGID,
Sam Carrara
Committed to Win
Today is Valentine’s Day. Have you decided what to get for that special someone? Flowers, dinner, movies, etc.
What are your commitments? Are you really committed? Here is a short list of my commitments:
- God
- Family (Wife & kids)
- Work
- Business
Notice I didn’t put TV on the list… It has been on an unofficial list before. How much time and energy does it suck out of your life? The same can be said of many other activities- Is bowling more important than the limited amount of time you have with your kids?
Are you committed, Committed to Win? If you are, get serious, take Action. Start with this list:
- Write down your goals (debt free, more time with family, etc.).
- Assign dates to complete these by.
- Define how you will accomplish these tasks (Start a blog, create information products, sell unused items on Ebay, etc.).
- Break down tasks into subtasks to see accomplishment as you complete each subtask.
- Take action on this list.
- About a month out re-evaluate your goals (are they important) and have you been working on the tasks to get to these goals?
In It To Win It,
Sam Carrara
Do Your Kids Know Your Name?
Do you have kids? Even if you don’t, take what I say and apply it to your family (Spouse, pet, etc.).
Last post I talked about not having time. If you made all the money in the world and lost your kids would it be worth it? Are you spending any time with them? Is this the face you see?
