The Mom Weekly Volume 16: November 14, 2023
As all of you know, this past weekend I attended a baby shower for one of the cousins. It was a lot of fun, a lot of activity, and also kind of tiring! But I am very glad I went, for the time with family, to celebrate the parents and extended family, and to enjoy a weekend away.
The baby shower was also a gender reveal, and guests were encouraged to wear pink or blue depending on their guess for baby’s gender. It turned out I was only of the only people to wear pink; I really liked my t-shirt and cardigan! Since I had on blue jeans, I suppose I could have said I was hedging my bets, but I truly thought the baby was a girl—just a hunch of course. I have no inside knowledge or special way to guess.
And it turns out I was wrong; the baby is a boy! That was also very exciting to learn. I said to several people, I’m not sad I’m wrong, because I am Team Baby.
I hope you all know that I am Team Baby, 100 percent and always. I was Team Baby when each of you were born; I was Team Baby whenever I hear about someone having a baby. I love getting to add moms and their babies to my prayer intentions.
“Team Baby” is eloquently stated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (paragraph 2378)
“A child is not something owed to one, but is a gift… A child may not be considered a piece of property, an idea to which an alleged “right to a child” would lead. In this area, only the child possesses genuine rights: … “the right to be respected as a person from the moment of his conception.”
Remember how much I love you,
Mom
Interesting/Noteworthyt
How to Buy a Million Dollar Business with $0
Do not let the title of this deter you from watching. Yes, it is all about how this Harvard MBA buys eggcartons.com. But it’s really an extremely well-done interview with Sarah Moore, who overcame a challenging upbringing to become the owner of a profitable business.
I strongly urge you to listen to (or watch) the entire episode, because it’s so fascinating from a business, financial, and psychological perspective, but it’s more important how she got there. She begins to tell her life story at about the 46:00 mark, if you don’t want to listen to the whole thing. She also talks about the value of hard work and the vital importance of people believing in you.
WSJ: If You’re Going to Fall, This is the Right Way
Interoception: The Hidden Sense That Shapes Wellbeing
Men Carry the Weight (of this Conversation)—Leah Libresco Sargent from Other Feminisms
Related: I reviewed her first book back in 2015. She’s very thoughtful!
WSJ: How Chipotle’s Founder Is Moving Beyond Burritos
An action item: Consider freezing your credit
Did you know that freezing your credit with the three credit bureaus used to cost money? But it no longer does, so it’s worth doing.
Here’s a good primer on how to freeze your credit, and why it’s a good idea to do so.
The downside? You may forget, as I did once, that you have frozen your credit, and then run into trouble when you want to get a car loan or mortgage. So make a mental note that you have frozen your credit, and keep the login for the credit bureaus handy.
Here’s the story: Several years back, we were buying an auto with a less than one percent dealership loan. While we were at the dealership to pick up the vehicle, my credit was frozen so they couldn’t approve the loan at first. And my assurances that my credit score is always well above 800, and every so often hits a perfect 850, fell on deaf ears. (Sad emoji face).
I’m not sure why Dad’s was unfrozen, but that was fortunate since they ended up being able to approve it using only Dad’s (also) excellent credit.
[I had frozen everyone’s credit back after I was a victim of identity theft (it was fairly small potatoes, and I caught it quickly, but it took months and hours to fix, and it made me vigilant about this.) ]
Anyway, I promise you, it’s much easier to freeze your credit than to fix a problem with your credit report. If I were you, I would do it.
What are you doing this weekend?
You know the drill–now that it’s Tuesday, what are you planning for the weekend? Here are the four Fs to get you started:
- faith–when are you going to Mass?
- friends–what friends will you see or connect with?
- food–any fun recipes you plan to try, or restaurants you might visit?
- fun–anything interesting you are going to play, watch, or do this weekend?
Now’s the time to think these through, and put them on the calendar.