I have a challenge that I must achieve.   My whole family and I (including parents, siblings and nephews) are planning to go on a cruise in June.

I’m more excited for my parents and my kids than myself.   My parents haven’t gone further than the next province in over 20 years.  My Dad’s health conditions prevent him from flying and it’s almost impossible to get travel insurance, thus travelling too far out of Canada is risky.

Solution:  Canada/New England cruise with Carnival

Grant it, it’s not the Caribbean or a European cruise but the “cruise experience” will be the same.  Not to mention the excitement for my kids to have their cousins along.

We hadn’t planned on taking a vacation this year because of the change in our financial situation.  My husband got his first check since he changed jobs and without the bonus and % of sales he used to receive at his previous job, he’s making 23% net less a month.  Ouch!

We decided that we couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to have everyone together.  It really means a lot to my parents.  They live for their children and this would be the first time EVER that we all went on vacation together.  My Dad’s favorite moments have always been when his kids are together.

I just have to tighten my belt a little but I’m sure the experience will be worth it.

I had a plan.

I was going to watch the Oscars from start to finish last night, minus the occasional distractions and duties.  I watched the Red Carpet and the opening act.  No disappointment there, I knew Steve and Alec would make a great pair.

With a smile on my face and a cup of coffee in my hand, I thought, “I think I’m gonna make it.”

So many things to look forward to.  Who’s going to win Best Actor and Actress?  Who is going to win Best Picture?  Hubby and I debated a little on these topics.

Two hours into the show, I felt it happening…. eyelids slowly shutting.  I cannot sleep now, the best parts are yet to come…..

I didn’t even feel myself falling asleep but I did.  I’m left having  to watch the highlights online.

Thank goodness for the internet.

What drives people to want to make a difference in the lives of others?  Can one person really make a huge difference in the world?  How can I make a difference?  “The Power of Half” helps answer all those questions.

When I read the synopsis of the book, I knew it was going to be an emotional book.  What I didn’t expect was just how much it would get me to self reflect.

There are certain books that simply entertain, but others, like this one, gets you to think.

It all started when fourteen-year-old Hannah Salwen had a eureka moment. Seeing a homeless man in her neighborhood at the same instant she spotted a man driving a glistening Mercedes, she said, “Dad, if that man had a less nice car, that man there could have a meal.”

Until that day, the Salwens had been caught up like so many of us in the classic American dream—providing a good life for their children, accumulating more and more stuff, doing their part to help others but not really feeling it. So when Hannah was stopped in her tracks by this glaring disparity, her parents knew they had to act on her urge to do something. As a family, they made the extraordinary decision to sell their Atlanta mansion, buy a house half its size, and give half of the sale price to a worthy charity. At first it seemed outlandish: What, are we crazy? Then it became a challenge: We are totally doing this. Their plan eventually took them across the globe and well out of their comfort zone. In the end they learned that they had the power to change a little corner of the world. And they found themselves changing too.

WOW!

Who does that?  I knew that I wanted to get to know this family more.

As a parent, one of my wishes is that my children have a better life than I did.  When I envision a better life, a large part of that is financial good fortune,  better house, better cars etc…  What this book helped me to realize is the importance of focusing on our inner selves more than on our assets.

“The Power of Half” is a book that shows the power and importance of  family and community.  It encourages readers in a non “pushy” way to give back to community, no matter what level.

I do recommend this book and will keep it as a future read to share with my sons when they are a little older.

If you think you don’t have the resources to make a difference, read this book and the following quotes.

“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little.”  British philosopher Edmund Burke

“If you think you’re too small to make a difference, you’ve never been in bed with a mosquito.”  Anita Roddick, founder of the Body Shop

Thank you to FSB Associates, for providing me with a review copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are my own, and have not been influenced by receiving the review item.

I was trying to find some Oscars related jokes for this week’s theme, considering it is Oscars Day.  I couldn’t come up with enough of a collection, so instead I thought I’d post some funny movie quotes.

There are a lot of funny quotes out there, I’m sure I missed some great ones.  If you think of one, share it in the comments.

The key here, I think, is to not think of death as an end. But, but, think of it more as a very effective way of cutting down on your expenses.

Boris Grushenko (Woody Allen) in ‘Love and Death’

I’m not bad, I’m just drawn that way.

Jessica Rabbit

(Kathleen Turner) in ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’

Old age. It’s the only disease, Mr. Thompson, that you don’t look forward to being cured of.

Bernstein (Everett Sloane) in ‘Citizen Kane’

Scarecrow (Ray Bolger): I haven’t got a brain… only straw.

Dorothy (Judy Garland): How can you talk if you haven’t got a brain?

Scarecrow: I don’t know… But some people without brains do an awful lot of talking… don’t they?

Dorothy: Yes, I guess you’re right.

‘Wizard of Oz’

“There’s no crying in baseball! There’s no crying in baseball!!” Tom Hanks as Jimmy Dugan from A League Of Their Own

Oh, Shrek. Don’t worry. Things just seem bad because it’s dark and rainy and Fiona’s father hired a sleazy hitman to whack you.
Donkey from Shrek

“I always just hoped that, that I’d meet some nice friendly girl, like the look of her, hope the look of me didn’t make her physically sick, then pop the question and… um… settle down and be happy. It worked for my parents. Well, apart from the divorce and all that!” ~ Four Weddings and a Funeral

“All I’m saying is that somewhere out there is the man you are supposed to marry. And if you don’t get him first, somebody else will, and you’ll have to spend the rest of your life knowing that somebody else is married to your husband.” ~ When Harry Met Sally

“All I’ve ever wanted was an honest week’s pay for an honest day’s work.”
Sgt. Bilko

“Marriage is like a tense, unfunny version of Everybody Loves Raymond, only it doesn’t last 22 minutes. It lasts forever.”
Knocked Up

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Welcome to Friday Frustrations, a weekly blog carnival dedicated to getting things off your chests whether big or small. If you would like to participate, grab the button and enter your Friday Frustrations link on Conversations with Moms Friday Frustrations Blog Hop.. You can write about several frustrations or just one. It’s up to you.

You don’t need to pick the same topic as I do.

The word Back Order is frustrating.

Remember my car accident of last week?

I got a call from the body shop who informed me that one of the parts is on back order and there is no e.t.a for when they are going to receive it.  So I have had the car for two weeks and it’s been in the shop for half that time.  I’ve already made a payment on it.

Jeffrey keeps asking me when we are getting our new car back.  I just keep hoping that the man who hit me and ran, while under the influence, gets charged with something.