Telling It Like It Is

I mentioned recently that Telling It Like It Is would be getting a new theme and new host. Well, this is it! What do you think? This new theme is called Silver Light, and I like the clean, simple, content-oriented look, rather than having a site loaded with cutsey images in the header etc. There is still some tweaking to the theme and sidebar going on, so please “pardon our mess” while everything is put into its proper place.

I know I mentioned before that I planned on using the Visionary Magazine Theme, but due to my lack of knowledge and/or inexperience with coding, I decided to stay clear of anything remotely complicated that would require a great deal of time spent on editing and coding.

Creating and having quality content for visitors and  subscribed readers is by far the most important thing to me, and I believe this new theme focuses on content quite well.

On a side note, I’ve received quite a few emails from regular visitors and subscribers asking what social networking sites I frequent so they can “friend” me and chat on a more personal basis than just in the comment section.

Here’s a list of where I can be found online.

• Twitter

• Facebook

• MySpace

• StumbleUpon

What do you think of this new theme?

Goal setting, setting personal goals and financial goals in 2009 is what many of us are focusing our time and energies on, as opposed to making new year resolutions that are too often forgotten and dismissed within a matter of weeks.

With the current economic recession and concerns about job layoffs, getting out of debt or managing debt, the increasing number of home foreclosures in the U.S. etc, making a goal to get smart about money and money management is a wise decision for individuals and families.

Personal Finance Blogs

“Telling It Like It Is” is not a personal finance blog per se, although I have talked at length about the Entitlement Epidemic that has been running rampant in society for many years, and the effect entitlement has had on young children, teenagers, grown adult children and parents.

I am subscribed to a generous number of personal finance blogs who offer great advice, suggestions, reviews and recommendations on setting personal goals, financial goals, being frugal and saving money, as personal finance and frugal living is of interest to me.

I’ve read numerous goal setting software reviews and ultimately decided on the goal setting software that I liked best; I’ve purchased Suze Orman’s new book, “Suze Orman’s 2009 Action Plan”, and am currently re-reading Suze Orman’s book, “Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny” while waiting for Suze’s Action Plan book to arrive in the mail.

My Personal Goals for 2009

I hate to admit it, but I need to lose a few pounds since I’m beginning to develop a big belly, so losing weight is just one of my personal goals this year. Losing thirty five pounds by August 2009 is quite doable in my opinion. After reading many elliptical reviews and deciding between an elliptical trainer vs. treadmill, I’m confident I will lose this weight with the help of my brand new Elliptical Trainer, the Alli Weight Loss pill and a low-calorie, low-fat diet plan.

I/we have set financial goals for 2009 as well, so I thought I’d share with you a few blog posts that I’ve been reading lately, and while you’re at it be sure to subscribe to these blogs (don’t forget to subscribe to Telling It Like It Is too) for free updates either by RSS feed or email subscriptions.

• The Keys to Financial Balance
• Personal Finance: Eliminate Credit Card Annual Fees
• Save Money on Your Cell Phone Plan
• Have Some Fun This Weekend Without Spending A Lot Of Money
• How To Keep Mindful And Committed To Goals And Resolutions
• 7 Ways Being Unbalanced Can Make You More Productive

What are your personal or financial goals for 2009? Lose weight? Get out of debt? Manage debt and/or save money? Start an emergency fund? Find a job or find a better job? Keep your house from going into foreclosure? Spend more time with your family?

If you hurry, you can download Suze Orman’s new personal finance book, “Suze Orman’s 2009 Action Plan”, from www.oprah.com/download before the deadline date of February 15th.

Suze Orman’s 2009 Action Plan is available for just $10.00 through Amazon.com, with personal finance topics discussing how the current economic situation came about in the first place, as well as chapters on credit, savings, planning for retirement, paying for college, and real estate.

I have already ordered Suze’s book, but I learned it was available (for now) as a free download ebook from Oprah.com, so here is your chance to get it for free in English or in Spanish.

Excerpt from Suze Orman’s 2009 Action Plan:

“If in late 2007 you were told that over the next twelve months housing would crater to 20% below it’s all-time peak, unemployment would rise from below 5% to nearly 8%, stocks would fall nearly 50%, and a gallon of gas would spike to more than $4 (and then drop below $2) you would probably have shrugged it off as just a whole lot of doomsday-scenario crankiness. But that’s exactly what we all had to live through and continue to grapple with in 2009.

My 2009 Action Plan is designed to make sure you are ready for the unexpected—this year and every year forward. I most certainly hope things get better for us all, but in the meantime I want to make sure you have a plan in place that will protect you no matter what “what ifs” lay ahead.”

While you’re downloading or buying Suze’s Action Plan book, be sure to also check out Power of Less by Leo Babauta to help you further your efforts to gain control over your personal finances and your life.

Most Popular Blog Posts

When I decided to start a blog with my very first blog post more than two years ago, I didn’t know anything about creating a blog where I could share parenting advice, marriage and relationship advice etc, but I knew that starting a blog that wasn’t just a personal blog all about me was something I was/am passionate about and I look forward to creating many more popular blog posts in 2009.

As we ring in the New Year, I’d like to share some of the most popular blog posts from Telling It Like It Is, based on popularity, number of views and/or comments, and a few of my personal favorites thrown in for good measure.

1. Why Are Women So Strange and Men So Weird?
2. Are Parents Helping Or Enabling Their Adult Children?
3. Inside the Minds of Angry, Controlling and Abusive Men
4. Helping and Enabling – Is There A Difference?
5. How to Get Along With the In-Laws: Dealing With In-Laws and Extended Family
6. Toxic Relationships – Toxic Family Members
7. Keeping the Fire Alive in Your Marriage
8. How to Spice Up Your Marriage: Fun and Easy Ways to Add Romance to Your Relationship
9. Zero Tolerance for Disrespectful, Cussing Kids
10. So Sexy, So Soon: The Sexualization of Childhood in Commercial Culture
11. Building Self-Confidence in Children with Self-Esteem Activities
12. Understanding Assertiveness: Getting The Respect You Deserve
13. Child Sexual Abuse: Facts VS. Myths
14. Taking Care of Aging Parents as a Family
15. Evaluating And Choosing The Right Niche For Your Personality And Passion
16. Can I Get Paid to Care for a Family Member: Elderly Mother or Father?
17. How to Be a Good Mother-In-Law
18. A Sense of Entitlement
19. Children and Divorce: How to Tell Children About Your Divorce
20. 10 Ways to Raise Children to USE Drugs
21. The Lolita Effect: The Media Sexualization of Young Girls and What We Can Do About It
22. How to Fight Fair in Marriage
23. Computer Monitoring Software- Do You Know What Your Kids Are Doing Online?
24. How to Spot a Gold Digger
25. Miley Cyrus AKA Hanna Montana Going Topless For Vanity Fair

I’ve been toying around with the idea that it was time to change blog themes for Telling It Like It Is for awhile now, so when circumstances arose for me to get a new hosting company for the site, I began researching WordPress Magazine Themes to find one I liked.

The new theme and new hosting server will happen very soon, so I’m giving visitors and subscribed readers the heads up that things are about to look a bit different around here.

After spending a few weeks looking at a wide variety of free WordPress themes, especially free magazine themes for WordPress blogs, I’m excited and relieved that I didn’t have to purchase a premium WordPress theme in order to be happy with the new look.

The Visionary Magazine Theme it is! There are many things I like about the Visionary theme for WordPress blogs, but I’m most excited about implementing some of the best WordPress plugins for WordPress blogs, if not the best WordPress plugins that will be used with the new theme.

For starters, the CommentLuv plugin will allow a blogger’s most recent blog post to appear in the comment section along with your comment, which helps to showcase your own posts for anyone interested in your topic, including me. That’s just one way I have found a variety of blogs to subscribe to myself, and I am thrilled to begin using CommentLuv with the new theme.

Related Posts plugin! Yes! I’ve been having to manually add each and every related post link within each article, and have been routinely digging back into my archived posts to edit in new related post links as well. But no more of that time-consuming nonsense!

I get emails from search engine visitors on a regular basis asking permission to share one or more of my articles/posts with a friend or relative, especially those related to the “helping vs. enabling” and “Entitlement Epidemic” articles, so I’m hoping to include an easy way for visitors and subscribed readers to share blog post articles of interest by email and the ability to print off articles whenever someone chooses to.

There may be a bit of tweaking to do with the new theme, so please pardon our mess while everything is put in its proper place. Anytime there is a change in blog hosting companies, there is the possibility of a few lost comments initially, but hopefully we’ll luck out and not lose any at all.

Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who captures the heart-warming story of Horton the elephant, and anyone who watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will be excited to not only read the book, but will also want to add the movie to their movie DVD or Blue-ray collection, or download Horton Hears a Who and the Horton Hears a Who Soundtrack.

Produced by Chuck Jones and Theodor “Ted” Geisel, the Horton Hears a Who characters include some of Hollywood’s A-list actors who lend their voices to this fascinating film directed by Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino such as: narrator James Osgood, Jim Carrey (as Horton), Steve Carell (as the Mayor), and Carol Burnett (as the Sour Kangaroo).

Other movie players include Seth Rogen as Horton’s dopey-sidekick “Morton”, Will Arnett (as Vlad Vladikoff), Amy Poehler (the Mayor’s wife Sally), Isla Fisher (a Whoville Scientist), the Wickersham Brothers, 96 daughters and one lonely son named JoJo who plays a pivotal role in the movie (played by teen pop star Jesse McCartney).

Horton Hears a Who Free Video Preview

Horton is an adorable elephant who is “faithful 100 percent”, lumbering happily in the “Jungle of Nool” until the day he hears a tiny voice coming from a dust-speck floating through the air. Horton discovers an entire universe, albeit vulnerable, in the dust mote village of Whoville, and in that village is the Mayor of Whoville whose minor role in the book has been promoted to full-fledged costar status in the film.

The Whos ask Horton to protect them from harm, proclaiming throughout the story that “A person’s a person, no matter how small” as the moral of this story. The Horton Hears a Who book and movie teaches children and adults alike the meaning and value of compassion, faith and forgiveness, which is lacking in much of today’s society.

Carol Burnett’s busy-body Kangaroo is the biggest danger to the dust speck village of Who, who enlists Vlad the vulture to destroy the speck in a boiling vat of Beezlenut oil, believing that nothing exists unless she can see it and that everyone must obey her.

The original, classic Horton Hears A Who book is a family favorite for children of all ages, and what child wouldn’t enjoy a Horton Hears a Who coloring book, products and apparel including Who t-shirts or costume, toys and games?

Adults will enjoy Horton Hears a Who just as much as kids do, so much so that parents like myself are indulging ourselves with adult-size Horton Hears a Who t-shirts and the Horton Hears a Who Christmas Ornament to enjoy.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of my subscribed readers and visitors. I’m taking a little Christmas break to enjoy the holidays with family and friends, but I’ll be back after the first of New Year 2009. If you haven’t yet subscribed, or you’re here for the very 1st time, now would be a great time to subscribe to Telling It Like It Is and join in on the fun.

Have a very Merry Christmas with all you hold dear. Stay safe and warm, don’t drink and drive, and we’ll see you back here soon.

We Wish You a Merry Christmas Song

Update: I know I said above that I would be taking a break until after New Year’s, but the story about the Marley and Me movie being ruined for moviegoers couldn’t be ignored. I may not post until after New Year’s, but maybe I will. We’ll see.

My Christmas Wish List

Coming up with my Christmas wish list for Christmas is always a challenge for me. I’m very good at crossing off everyone else’s Christmas wish lists, as I start my Christmas shopping very early. When it’s time to tell friends and family about my Christmas wish list, that’s where I often get stuck. “What do you want for Christmas?”, “What is on your Christmas wish list this year?” are the questions everyone wants to know.

My Christmas wish list is more like an online wish list, since virtually everything I buy is online anymore. Since many other bloggers have posted a Christmas wish list of their own, I guess it’s not too crazy an idea for me to do the same. So, here goes my Christmas list of gifts I hope to receive for Christmas, and hopefully Santa Claus will grant me everything on my wish list this year. I’ve been a very good girl all year long, just in case you didn’t know.

My Christmas Wish List

BUNN Coffee Pot	Airbed for Camping	Airbed Cover
Amazon Gift Cards	Chronicles of Narnia	David Cook CD
Digital Picture Frame	Josh Groban “Awake”	Josh Groban “Noel”
Kindle Reader	Maxine Calendar	PhotoShop
Portable DVD Player	Sony Headphones	More Gift Cards!

Well, there goes my Christmas wish list for Christmas 2008. I can’t get enough of Josh Groban or David Cook, so I’m really hoping for some CD’s for Christmas.

The Digital Picture Frame would be great for family pictures on my desk at work, and the Portable DVD Player and matching headphones would be great each time I fly to visit my grown kids and grandson out of state, or when I finally get the opportunity to travel to Olongapo in the Philippines. Plane rides can be very boring to say the least.

What is on your Christmas wish list this year? If you could name your Top 5 Christmas gifts you hope to receive, what would they be? Did you make a Christmas wish list?

The “Mom Song” is sometimes referred to as the Mum Song, and after hearing a variety of songs about moms over the years, I must admit the Patti Harshey version of the Mom Song is by far the best.

Anita Renfroe did a nice version of the William Tell Mom Song too, but I personally prefer Patti Harshey’s version. Patti Harshey, from the Northland Church in Longwood Florida, recently sang the mom song and I wanted to share it as it is simply priceless.

This song goes well with my recent Mean Moms post too. This mom song does an excellent job of describing what a typical mom says in a 24-hour period, but this mom says it in less than 3 minutes flat.

The Mom Song lyrics are displayed as this song is sung, but I thought it would be fun to include the Mom Song lyrics in full text version below for anyone interested in singing along. If you can keep up, that is.

The Mom Song Lyrics

Get up now
Get up now
Get up out of bed
Wash your face
Brush your teeth
Comb your sleepy head
Here’s your clothes
And your shoes
Hear the words I said
Get up now
Get up and make your bed
Are you hot?
Are you cold?
Are you wearing that?
Where’s your books and your lunch and your homework at?
Grab your coat and your gloves and your scarf and hat
Don’t forget you got to feed the cat
Eat your breakfast
The experts tell us it’s the most important meal of all
Take your vitamins so you will grow up one day to be big and tall
Please remember the orthodontist will be seeing you at three today?
Don’t forget your piano lesson is this afternoon

So you must play
Don’t shovel
Chew slowly
But hurry
The bus is here
Be careful
Come back here
Did you wash behind your ears?
Play outside
Don’t play rough
Would you just play fair?
Be polite
Make a friend
Don’t forget to share
Work it out
Wait your turn
Never take a dare
Get along
Don’t make me come down there
Clean your room
Fold your clothes
Put your stuff away
Make your bed
Do it now
Do we have all day?
Were you born in a barn?
Would you like some hay
Can you even hear a word I say?
Answer the phone
Get Off the phone
Don’t sit so close
Turn it down
No texting at the table
No more computer time tonight
Your iPod’s my iPod if you don’t listen up

Where you going and with whom and what time do you think you’re coming home?
Saying thank you, please, excuse me
Makes you welcome everywhere you roam
You’ll appreciate my wisdom
Someday when you’re older and you’re grown
Can’t wait ’til you have a couple little children of your own
You’ll thank me for the counsel I gave you so willingly
But right now
I thank you NOT to roll your eyes at me
Close your mouth when you chew
Would appreciate
Take a bite
Maybe two
Of the stuff you hate
Use your fork
Do not you burp
Or I’ll set you straight
Eat the food I put upon your plate
Get an egg A, Get the door
Don’t get smart with me
Get a Grip
Get in here I’ll count to 3
Get a job
Get a life
Get a PhD
Get a dose of reality
I don’t care who started it
You’re grounded until your 36
Get your story straight
And tell the truth for once for heaven’s sake
And if all your friends jumped off a cliff
Would you jump too?

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said at least a thousand times before that
You’re too old to act this way
It must be your father’s DNA
Look at me when I am talking
Stand up straight when you walk
A place for everything
And everything must be in place
Stop crying or I’ll give you something real to cry about
Oh!
Brush your teeth
Wash your face
Get your PJs on
Get in bed
Get a hug
Say a prayer with Mom
Don’t forget
I love you
**KISS**
And tomorrow we will do this all again because a mom’s work never ends
You don’t need the reason why
Because
Because
Because
Because
I said so
I said so
I said so
I said so
I’m the Mom
The mom
The mom
The mom
The mom
Ta-da

This song called “Everytime” by Lincoln Hawk is quite popular it seems! Here is the Lincoln Hawk Video from YouTube and the Lincoln Hawk “Everytime” lyrics. Enjoy!

Lincoln Hawk “Everytime” Lyrics:

Every time you walk away or run away
You take a piece of me with you there

Oh it seems like I’m walking right to your door
With my hearts still resting, looking for something more
Are you ever going to see everything you mean to me?
I’m trying very hard to believe

Nothing feels right when I’m left here on my own
Left last night
It seemed like I waited too long
Are you going to ever see everything you mean to me?
I’m trying very hard to believe

Come back to me
You smile and you make my life complete