When Scout got home from work yesterday, I congratulated him on making us so boring financially that ABC World News didn’t want to put me on the National News.

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To say he was confused would understate his reaction.

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Heather had called me to see if I would be up for an interview about being middle class – after talking to the lovely woman from ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, lovely woman said we weren’t what she was looking for for the story – before getting off the phone, I gave a shout out on Skype “hey, any of y’all middle class and squeezed?” and Angie was all “UM YEAH!” – so I passed her number to the woman and Angie was on the national news talking about financial struggles in the middle class.

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Angie has a small online store – Good for the Kids – which specializes in finding educational items and toys that are … good for the kids. I’ve posted about doing all my Christmas shopping in one place before. I still have a pretty well stocked present closet from my shopping trips there. I feel good about what I buy from Angie, and I feel even better that I’ve helped a person I have a relationship with, and not just a big box store. From the comments on the post, others are feeling that too.

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(*yes I know that people work in big box stores too, but those people didn’t hold my hand while I wrote a post the night my dad died – Angie did* (pwd protected, just ask for the pwd – you aren’t the reason it’s protected.))

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While Scout and I may be comfy, unsqueezed middle class, I do like to pay attention to where our money goes. I don’t buy things for the sake of buying things. (I really liked the Team Anissa tshirts – but I realized don’t wear crew neck tshirts, for example.)

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There are less dollars to go around – so I figure I better make damn sure that where I’m giving my dollars is what and who I want to support. Slowly but surely I am figuring out how I can get the things I like (oh that I really, really like) and know that my dollars are directly helping people I have a relationship with.

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I may not have a local main street in my town where I can walk and browse and talk to shopkeepers who are my friends, but I have bookmarks all through my browser of a virtual main street where I can wander and get things I like from people I love. (And even help out the USPS a lot of the time!)

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Oh yes, that list with a fancy button are coming!

- Realize some women are BITCHEZ. They just are. Their moms and sisters are probably BITCHEZ too. Also? Their friends. Like speaks to like and BITCHEZ hang tight. Think of these BITCHEZ like a rank, wet fart. Unavoidable and best to avoid being in their path.

- Grooming counts dude. If I look at my 5 fave mommy bloggers – not a one of them presents as an uggo. I’m not talking imitating plastic surgery Barbie and spending hours in front of a mirror. Soap and water go a long way. Especially when choosing profile pictures. Sloth is one of the 7 deadlies peeps.

- Have some dayum FUN! Srsly people. Chances are, this is not the job that is providing the finances for your food and shelter. So CHILLAX with the awards, memes, retweets, commenting, replying to comments and for the love of Pete – “mark all as read” is your FRIEND.

- Ask questions. Want to know how to get some nifty widget in your sidebar? Make a button? Change a template? Figure advertising? Get threaded comments? ASK. Even the fucking BITCHEZ tend to answer questions when asked. People like to feel like experts. I’m horrid at reading blogs, replying to comments and all that – but when someone emails me and asks a question – I *tend* to sit down right then and answer it. (Not that I’m hot shit. Trust me.)

Run the other way from DRAMA! I’ll give someone a pass the first time they lose their shit on Twitter. Twice – ehhhh – anything after that and we’re back to the rank fart theory.

No mall hair. Now really this is a rule for life and not just mommy blogging. This was okay on a hot teenager in the 80s ….

(click photo for source)

. . .but NO MORE MALL BANGS. It’s been 20 years – no more curling bangs backward onto your head.

No one puts Baby in a corner. You have all this pain and all these feelings, and nobody’s really paying attention. Every single person . . . is ignoring your pain because they’re too busy with their own. The beautiful ones, the popular ones, the guys that pick on you. Everyone. Okay. That’s totally a quote from Buffy the Vampire Slayer where Buffy is talking to Jonathan in the clock tower. Still works though. Get yourself out of the corner. Goes back to having fun.

To sum up. Have fun in spite of the BITCHEZ in the DRAMA, remember to Shower your non 80s hair, while asking questions, and hiding in the corner is NOT FUN.

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HAVE FUN!