Skinny Jeans

I wear jeans for the mature figure. I have found Jag and NYDJ fit me better than most other jeans. This year my workout has focused more on the abds to get rid of the "muffin" top or "luv handles". Today I found this work out for the women who want to wear skinny jeans. I was getting frustrated with losing inches but no pounds. My daughter linked me up to a program call livestrong and when I entered all my calories per day I was surprized that I was rewarding myself for my hour workouts. Nothing major: a few jelly beans, a glass of wine in the evening, a handful of M&Ms etc. So I was expeding more calories but ingesting just as many as a reward. So I set my mark for one pound per week and I have lost 2.5 pounds. I just have to be careful not to reward myself for the weight loss.

DNA Testing for Talent

In China parents are having their children (only child) screened for talent. I know about testing DNA for disease but I did not know you could also predict talents, temperament, and IQ. This seems like parenting to the extreme. The Video shows little kids being evaluated by a team of people to see what their talents are as toddlers. One segment shows a child about 4 or 5 going through a vigorous work-out for gymnastics. No wonder our gymnasts never have a chance at the Olympics. I wonder how many rebellious teens they are going to have in the future. What ever happened to allow you child to explore and find their gifts?

Health Care like Congress!

The LA Times this weekend had an article about the generous benefits package, subsidized by taxpayers that lawmakers receive. President Obama keeps on placating the public by saying that their health care will be just like theirs. The plan favored by most federal employees costs about #1030 per family. Sounds a bit high? Well we the taxpayer picks up about $700 of that amount. I calculated that if all Americans had that type of plan it would cost 5.2 trillion dollars per year. Interesting!

Cash for Clunkers

Ok, what next? I actually thought about turning in our 1998 Ford F150 pick up truck for cash (and another car), but it did not make good financial sense at this time. The truck is in good condition, it runs well, burns a little gas but we just add a little extra oil as needed. The cost to insure it is about $400 dollars per year. It is driven occasionally by every member of the family. Sometime you just need a pick up truck to haul things around. I read about a guy who traded in his old truck this week. He felt this was his chance to get a new vehicle at a discounted price. He had lost his job and used all of his saving to do this. Of course he did not mention the increased cost of the car insurance of the new vehicle or the fact that he had used all of his savings to purchase it. I guess now he will get unemployment to pay his bills and health care subsidized by working people. What next?