Sorry for the Sports-Intensive Post.

I realize that a lot of my regular readers may not know who Kirby Puckett and Terry Bradshaw are, and may not care. And that's okay. So here's a post for you guys.

Mr. Pie has discovered the word "DUUUUH!!"

He uses it quite often. Observe.

"Hey Pie, do you want a sandwich?"

"DUUUUUH!! I'm HUNgry!"


Grrrrrrrrr.

Good thing I got The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Familes from Paperbackswap.com today. I'm gonna see what Mr. Covey says about what to do with smartmouthed 4-year-olds. I'm hoping he condones the ol' forehead flick.

Have I mentioned Paperbackswap.com? It's such fun. There's a button in the sidebar. If you read a lot, or even if you don't but would like to if new books weren't so bloody expensive, it's a really great deal. It's FREE! All you do is pay for shipping the books via Media Mail (just a couple of dollars). You don't even have to go to the Post Office - the site tells you how much shipping is for each book you're sending out, and you just wrap it up in printer paper and put regular stamps on it.

I know that libraries exist and they're really free, but it always takes me longer than 2 weeks to read a book. I figure what I spend on shipping costs is comparable to what I'd pay in overdue charges at la biblioteca.

I was skeptical about Paperbackswap.com at first, but based on a $4.50 used book price, I've saved about $150 since joining up in October. R's a voracious reader, and he really loves being able to swap out the books he's read for different ones. And the kids have even swapped their books there. You can set up a Wish List, and then you'll receive an email when the books on your list are posted. The selection is improving as new members join, and the customer service is great. Anyway, if you're looking for something fun to do today, go through some old books and post them, then search the site for something you haven't read yet!

But enough with the Paperbackswap.com commercial.

I'm really having a hard time fighting the tempation to buy new yarn. I KNOW I don't need it. I really do posess the cognitive ability to understand that fact.

But it's sooooooooo cathartic.

And here's my problem with eBay. I'm SuperCompetitive. Like, cut-throat competitive. I hate losing. So I'll bid waaaay more than I really want to spend, even on stuff that I don't really want or need, just because I want to win. Dr. Phil would be proud of me for acknowledging that, I think. I need to stay away from eBay, especially on days when I'm drowning in self-loathing. There. Just saying it out loud is helpful.

I'm reallllllllllly trying to eliminate unnecessary spending from our lives. Yesterday I bought each of the kids a book at the Book Fair at the boys' school. And was promptly consumed by guilt. But is that guilt worse than the guilt I'd feel if I didn't buy the books? This is what perplexes me.

We are constantly surrounded by items, situations, and media images all of which make us feel like the worst parent in the world if we don't supply our children with Sufficient Educational Material (like the $750 laptop my SIL bought for my nephew's 9th birthday) and Learning Opportunities (like Space Camp for $2000). And have you seen the latest commercial for Disney World, with the glaring implication that if you DON'T take your kids to Disney World, they won't be as smart as the kids whose parents love them enough to take them there? We're supposed to put ourselves in hock so our kids can get the latest technological innovation, lest they be unable to compete in a Global Economy as adults. Riiiiiiight.

Maybe the logic is selfish at the core. After all, the more money our kids make as adults, the nicer Nursing Home they'll be able to afford to put us in.

It's ridiculous, and yet, like so many other parents, I buy into it. And it explains so much of what I hate about my life.